Bolsonaro says he will appeal to the STF in case of ineligibility: without foot or head

A few hours before the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) resumes the trial that could condemn him to ineligibility, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) said he will appeal the decision to the Federal Supreme Court (STF). This Friday (30), the magistrates are holding the fourth session that judges a PDT action against him for alleged abuse of political power due to the meeting with ambassadors held in July last year.

Bolsonaro said that the judgment “has no foot and no head” and that the TSE has no legal basis to revoke his mandate.

“My attorney, Dr. Tarcísio [Vieira], participated in the trial of the Dilma-Temer ticket, and the decisive vote, a minerva, was Gilmar Mendes. He voted for the shelving and said that the electoral justice should not exist to cancel mandates, much less the president. […] It is customary, in Brazil, to see trials for corruption and other things. For the first time, abuse of political power. I will talk to my lawyers and the appeal will go to the STF ”, he said in an interview with Rádio Itatiaia.

Based on Gilmar Mendes’ statement, the former president criticized the impeachment of Deputy Deltan Dallagnol (Podemos-PR), this year, and Fernando Francischini (PSL-PR) in 2018, and that the same may come to pass with other parliamentarians.

The former president again stated that he only held the meeting with ambassadors to talk about the Brazilian electoral system after Minister Edson Fachin also met the representatives two months earlier.

“I discussed the Federal Police investigation opened in the first week of November 2018, after my election, which investigated a very well-founded accusation of fraud in the elections. […] I am being judged by an investigation open until today”, he said. The complaint was clarified by the TSE, which attested that the results of the 2018 elections were complete.

Bolsonaro also criticized the TSE’s performance during last year’s election campaign, in which he suffered several opposition representations for materials used in advertising.

“It’s fair? Can the TSE prevent me from releasing images from Sete de Setembro? To publish a photo of Lula with a CPX cap on his head? He went to meet with the cream of what in Complexo do Alemão, in Rio de Janeiro? There, I don’t even have the courage to enter the PM’s caveirão!”

For him, the court’s performance was partial during the campaign: “now, they spread barbarities about me without interference from the TSE”, he added.