Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro banned from public office until 2030

The majority of the justices on Brazil’s electoral court decided to prevent former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for public office for the following eight years, eliminating him as a serious candidate in the upcoming election and handing a serious blow to the nation’s far-right movement.

When Mr. Bolsonaro invited diplomats to the presidential palace less than three months before last year’s election and made irrational allegations that the country’s voting procedures were probably rigged, the judges determined that he had broken Brazil’s election regulations.

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By late Friday morning, four of the seven judges of the court had ruled that Mr. Bolsonaro had abused his presidential authority by calling the meeting with ambassadors. While two other justices were yet to cast their votes, one judge decided that Mr. Bolsonaro had not abused his position of authority. The finalisation of the decision was anticipated for later on Friday.

The choice would be a direct and immediate rebuke of Mr. Bolsonaro and his attempt to sabotage the polls in Brazil. Mr. Bolsonaro was the leader of one of the biggest democracies in the world just six months ago. His political future is now in risk.

The following time Mr. Bolsonaro, 68, can run for president is in 2030, when he will be 75.

Bolsonaro is anticipated to appeal the decision to Brazil’s Supreme Court, despite the fact that the court aggressively sought to limit his power while he was president. Years ago, he began a harsh campaign against the court and many of its justices, branding some of them “terrorists” and charging them with attempting to sway the court’s decision against him.

Even if his appeal is granted, Mr. Bolsonaro would still be up against 15 more petitions in the electoral court, including claims that he inappropriately used taxpayer money to sway the election and that his campaign engaged in a well-coordinated disinformation operation. Any of those situations might also prevent him from running for president.

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He is also a subject of multiple criminal investigations, including ones into whether he encouraged his followers to raid Brazil’s government buildings on January 8 and whether he conspired to fudge his vaccination records. The Covid-19 vaccination was denied by Mr. Bolsonaro. A felony conviction would also exclude him from holding public office.