A significant majority of judges on Brazil’s Supreme Court, during a review of charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday, voted in favor of proceeding with a trial concerning allegations of conspiracy to overthrow the government following his defeat in the 2022 election.
The initial three members of a five-judge panel expressed their support for putting Bolsonaro on trial. Should he be convicted in a trial anticipated later this year, he could face a substantial prison sentence of up to twenty years.
In his introductory statements on Wednesday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over the case, presented compelling footage depicting Bolsonaro’s supporters violently breaching government buildings, an event that occurred merely a week after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s inauguration in January 2023.
Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who held the presidency from 2019 to 2022, faces accusations of five distinct crimes, including an alleged attempt to violently dismantle democratic governance and instigate a coup d’état.
Justice Moraes remarked that Bolsonaro orchestrated “a systematic effort to undermine confidence in the electronic voting machines” utilized in Brazil, as part of his broader strategy to challenge the legitimacy of the election he lost.
The Supreme Court commenced its examination of charges against Bolsonaro and seven of his closest associates on Tuesday, a session that Bolsonaro attended voluntarily, sitting quietly in the front row, reminiscent of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trial last year.
In anticipation of the significant court hearing, Bolsonaro organized a rally on the beach in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to capitalize on Lula’s declining popularity and to urge Congress to enact an amnesty bill that would benefit him and his imprisoned supporters.
The event, which some of his allies claimed could attract over a million participants, was largely deemed unsuccessful, as two independent polling agencies reported attendance figures ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 individuals.
Despite a decision from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court that prohibits him from seeking public office until 2030 due to his attempts to undermine the nation’s electoral system, Bolsonaro has maintained his intention to run for president again next year.
