Brazil's top electoral court on Thursday began hearing a case that could torpedo the political future of former President Jair Bolsonaro by rendering him ineligible for public office for eight years.
Judges are evaluating a case filed by Brazil's Democratic Labor Party, which claims the far-right leader abused his power by using government communication channels to promote his campaign and cast unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system.
Both the political party that filed the case will have time to make its arguments, as will Bolsonaro's lawyers. Paulo Gonet Branco, one of the top prosecutors at Brazil's electoral court, favoured Bolsonaro's ineligibility in his report on the case, which will be analyzed by the court's panel. It is comprised of judges from the country's top courts, the Supreme Court and the superior court of justice, plus two appointees.
"I wouldn't like to lose my political rights," Bolsonaro told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't know whether I will be a candidate for mayor or city councillor next year, I don't know whether I will be a senator or president in the future. But to be a candidate I need to keep my political rights." He is also expected to help stump for mayors in next year's municipal election -- whether or not he has his political rights. Surfing the Bolsonaro wave in the 2022 general election, his Liberal Party won more congressional seats than any other and became the biggest in both the Lower House and Senate.
"Bolsonaro will be finished as a presidential candidate if he indeed loses this trial," he said. "Many voters would only vote for him, but from the polling we have seen, the vast majority of conservatives and right-leaning voters are ready to look beyond Bolsonaro and pick any other candidate, even if not supported by him."
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