Bolsonaro says that Moraes wants to banish him from politics with convictions at the TSE

Former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) said this Friday (3) that the second conviction of ineligibility in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) is to remove him from politics. The statement was made during a visit to the city of Santos with federal deputy Rosana Valle (PL-SP), in which she commented on the two decisions that left him ineligible until 2030.

Last Tuesday (31), the majority of TSE ministers condemned him for alleged abuse of political power by using the celebrations of the Bicentenary of Independence on September 7, 2022 to, according to the magistrates, campaign for re-election.

“That’s what I usually say: do you fight at home with your wife and go to your mother-in-law? We are seeing what our strategy is, although there is no strategy. Strategy is what Alexandre de Moraes wants. And we know what he wants. It’s getting rid of politics,” said Bolsonaro when asked by journalists about the second conviction.

In the first, in June, Bolsonaro was condemned for the meeting with ambassadors in July last year and raised doubts about the execution of the Brazilian electoral process. In both processes, the former president alleges that he has been persecuted by minister Alexandre de Moraes, who presides over the TSE.

Also this Friday (3), Bolsonaro stated that the magistrate has been “winning, but everything in this life is dynamic”. In addition to the former president, General Walter Braga Netto, who was a candidate for vice president, was also convicted by the TSE.

If the convictions by the TSE are maintained after the defense appeals, Bolsonaro will only be able to run for electoral office again from 2030 onwards. Right-wing parties still believe in a turnaround, but are already working to have a candidate for the 2026 presidential race.

Before that, in next year’s municipal elections, the PL intends to win a thousand city halls across the country, which could provide support and a better articulation plan for the candidate who will be chosen for the presidential succession. Among the main options are governors Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP) and Romeu Zema (Novo-MG).