Bolsonaro’s judgment at the TSE: clear your doubts – 06/21/2023 – Politics

The trial of the electoral action that could make former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) ineligible should occupy all sessions of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) until July.

See below a list of questions and answers with the main questions about the process.

When will Bolsonaro’s trial be?

Bolsonaro’s trial was guided by the president of the TSE, Alexandre de Moraes, to start this Thursday (22).

The sessions, however, do not have an end date. The judgment of the electoral action may occupy all sessions of the court until the beginning of the judicial recess, in July.

There is still the possibility of requests for a view, which may paralyze the analysis of the case. Understand how long Bolsonaro’s trial lasts.

Why will Bolsonaro be judged?

Bolsonaro will be judged by an Aije (electoral judicial investigation action) filed by the PDT in August 2022. The action asks the TSE to make Bolsonaro ineligible. At the time, the party had Ciro Gomes as its candidate for president.

Aije was the first to call for the overthrow of Bolsonaro’s ticket because of the speech made by the then president on July 18. The caption stated that Bolsonaro abused political power and made improper use of the media.

Why can Bolsonaro be ineligible?

The following are identified as illicit acts in the PDT action: the use of the state apparatus for electoral purposes, because the meeting with ambassadors took place at the Palácio da Alvorada (official residence of the Presidency) and was broadcast by the state-owned TV Brasil, and the attack on the integrity of the process electoral.

The former president can be convicted of abuse of political power or prohibited conduct – actions prohibited for interfering with the fairness and balance of elections, which could affect equality of opportunities between candidates. The main proof of the process is the video of the meeting.

The TSE set a precedent in 2021 on the possibility of ineligibility for attacks on the fairness of the electoral process. In 2021, the court revoked the mandate of Paraná state deputy Fernando Francischini for a live made on his social networks on the day of the 2018 elections.

What did Bolsonaro say that could make him ineligible?

The content and circumstances of the meeting with ambassadors held by Bolsonaro in 2022 are at the heart of the electoral action that will begin to be judged by the TSE this Thursday (22).

Less than three months before the first round of elections, Bolsonaro made false and distorted statements about the electoral process, claiming to be based on official data, in addition to seeking to discredit TSE ministers.

In one of the lines, he misleadingly states: “The TSE itself says that in 2018 numbers may have been changed”. At another point, he distorts the speech of a TSE employee about the 2020 elections by saying: “It is not the TSE that counts the votes, it is a third-party company”.

See what Bolsonaro said at the time that could make him ineligible.

For how many years can Bolsonaro be ineligible?

The main consequence of the action that will be judged is the ineligibility for eight years.

According to current legislation, if convicted, the former president will be able to run again in 2030, at the age of 75, thus staying away from three elections until then (one of them being the 2026 national).

Bolsonaro may be ineligible until October 2, 2030, four days before the first round of the 2030 elections, when he would be considered clean again. In that case, he could be a candidate in 2030.

Understand why Bolsonaro would be ineligible for three elections.