The Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) is currently conducting a trial against the former far-right president on charges of abusing his position and misusing state media.

The allegations stem from an incident in July 2022, just three months before the elections that he eventually lost.

During that time, he organized a meeting with foreign diplomats in which he asserted that Brazil’s electronic voting machines were susceptible to large-scale fraud, France 24 reported.

Notably, Bolsonaro, aged 68, did not attend the trial in Brasilia. Instead, his press office informed AFP that he would be monitoring the proceedings from Porto Alegre, where he would be engaged in political meetings.

During the July meeting held at the presidential palace, which was broadcast live on public television, Bolsonaro spent nearly an hour presenting his case to the attending ambassadors.

However, he relied on a PowerPoint presentation without presenting any concrete evidence.

Prosecutors argue that the event violated electoral law, as it took place during the highly divisive campaign for the October 2022 elections, in which Bolsonaro narrowly lost to his leftist arch-rival and current President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Written by staff