Bloomberg Línea — Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been barred from running for any political office until 2030 following a ruling by the majority of the ministers of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) on Friday.
The highest court of electoral justice in the country ruled on charges of abuse of political power by the then president during the 2022 elections.
The former president said in an interview with Rádio Itatiaia that he will appeal the ruling.
The electoral court ministers ruled 5 to 2 in favor of convicting the former president.
TSE Justices Benedito Gonçalves, Floriano de Azevedo Marques Neto, André Ramos Tavares, Cármen Lúcia and Alexandre de Moraes, the president of the electoral court, voted for Bolsonaro’s conviction.
Ministers Rafael Araújo and Kassio Nunes Marques voted for his acquittal.
The TSE specifically judged Bolsonaro’s conduct during a meeting held with ambassadors from other countries in July last year at the Alvorada Palace in which he attacked Brazil’s electronic voting system. The legality of the meeting was also called into question.
According to the TSE ruling, Bolsonaro committed abuse of political power and misuse of the media, having organized the aforementioned meeting inside the Alvorada Palace. In addition, the event was broadcast on Bolsonaro’s social networks and by TV Brasil, a public broadcaster of the Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC).
-- With information from Agência Brasil