Electoral Court opens investigation against Bolsonaro for abuse of power during elections
The Brazilian Electoral Court yesterday agreed to open an investigation against former president Jair Bolsonaro for alleged abuse of power in the 2022 elections, which could cause him political disqualification.
The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) judge Benedito Gonçalves accepted the complaint filed by the Workers’ Party and other parties that formed the coalition, in which the former president is accused of carrying out acts on the premises of the Presidential Palace and the official residence of the Presidency in the second round of the election campaign.
In analyzing the initial petition, Gonçalves considered that there is sufficient evidence to authorize the opening of the process. In case of conviction, one of the punishments may be the disqualification of Bolsonaro.
“It is extracted from the analyzed material that the spaces traditionally used for holding press conferences by the President of the Republic, in the performance of his function as the head of state, served as a stage for ostensive campaign events, in which it was intended to project an image of the political strength of Jair Bolsonaro’s candidacy,” he said.
Bolsonaro has at least 16 cases pending in the Superior Electoral Court for irregularities and abuses of power.
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