Bolsonaro fights for political future in Brazil electoral court

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s future in office hung in the balance on Thursday, as the country’s federal electoral court (TSE) was set to begin a trial that could leave him in the political wilderness for nearly a decade.

Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who in October narrowly lost Brazil’s most fraught election in a generation, stands accused of abusing his presidential power last year when he summoned foreign diplomats to publicly vent unfounded attacks on the country’s electronic voting system.

Bolsonaro’s accusers have also included in the charges against him a draft memo for how to overturn the election, found at the house of his former justice minister.

The outlook appears bleak for Bolsonaro, a career politician who was until recently Brazil’s most powerful man.

His lawyer told Reuters this week that his polarizing client faces an “unfavorable” climate from the country’s media, politicians and judicial classes.

Bolsonaro went to the Senate on Wednesday and later told reporters that he hoped Benedito Gonçalves, the lead justice in the case, would vote to keep his political future alive.

If the TSE rules against Bolsonaro, the 68-year-old could find himself unable to run for public office until 2030. That may not be the end of his troubles as he also faces multiple criminal investigations that could put him behind bars.

Bolsonaro still retains significant support from his right-wing supporters, but many in Brazil have tired of his scorched-earth politics that culminated in the storming of government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8 by thousands of his supporters.

Many in Bolsonaro’s former right-wing coalition are already preparing for a future without the former army captain. Some allies are openly placing their hopes in other conservative leaders, such as Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio Freitas and Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema.

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