150,000 signatures submitted in Brazil demanding future ineligibility of Bolsonaro

Several Brazilian civil society entities and parliamentarians have submitted a document with over 150,000 virtual signatures to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), urging the disqualification of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro will face trial starting Thursday on charges of abuse of political power, which could result in his disqualification from future candidacy.

The signature collection was organized by 21 civil entities, including the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST), the Brazilian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (Abong), the Political and Electoral Observatory (Opel), and lawmakers from the Solidarity Party.

Luciana Travassos, the coordinator of the activism network Nossas, stated, “We are aware that former president Jair Bolsonaro has committed many crimes, but this is the first opportunity for him to be held accountable.”

The trial at the TSE is based on statements made by Bolsonaro during a meeting with ambassadors at the presidential palace in July of the previous year, where he discredited Brazil’s electronic voting system.

According to the entities calling for his disqualification, Bolsonaro spread false information about the electoral process and attacked the electronic voting machines.

If found guilty, Bolsonaro will be ineligible for eight years and unable to participate in future elections.

During the process, Bolsonaro’s defense argued that the case should not be judged by the Electoral Justice.

Their argument is based on the event with the ambassadors occurring on July 18, when Bolsonaro was not an official candidate for the 2022 elections and had not yet been approved at a party convention.

On the other hand, the Electoral Public Ministry (MPE) has ruled in favor of Bolsonaro’s ineligibility.

In their opinion submitted to the court, the institution contends that Bolsonaro violated the law by disseminating misinformation about the electoral process.

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