The trial against Bolsonaro was suspended and resumed Friday with a 3-1 decision in favor of impeachment | International

More than 10,000 people followed the trial of Brazilian right-wing leader and former president Ultra Jair Bolsonaro for abuse of power by the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE). In absence of the defendant, the hearing was adjourned this afternoon and resumed at noon on Friday. So far, four of the seven magistrates who make up the court have voted. Those involved in Brazilian politics follow it like a party. After today’s session, the vote was 3-1 to disqualify Bolsonaro, which would keep him out of elections until 2030. Even the defendant conceded that the case would end in conviction.

Allegations of abuse of power stem from Bolsonaro’s meeting with diplomatic corps in Brasilia, three months before the last election. In front of dozens of foreign diplomats, the then Brazilian head of state attacked the electoral process, without providing evidence and questioning guarantees of fair voting and tally.

Bolsonaro, who feared he could end up in prison, is not in danger of being jailed in the case, although he faces other charges that carry such a sentence. This is the first case against him to go to trial. The penalty is eight years disqualification from contesting elections. If he is found guilty, he can appeal to the Election Court or the Supreme Court. Congress could pardon him if judges cut short his electoral career, the far-right recalled this morning. “In a democracy amnesty is granted and it is decided by the Parliament,” he declared.

Along with him, retired general Walter Braga Neto, who was a vice presidential candidate in last October’s election, is also being investigated under the same charges. Four justices have voted so far, all four in favor of acquitting him.

One more vote in favor of Bolsonaro’s conviction would be a majority to disqualify him. That is possible tomorrow, Friday, when the trial begins and the vote on the next Tokata is held. But the far-right former president and his followers still hope one of the judges appointed to the post will ask for a pause to examine the documents and arguments in more detail before issuing his ruling. This type of suspension, which occurs frequently in Brazil’s high courts, has an unpredictable duration. It can take weeks, months or sometimes years.

Justices came into Thursday’s session with the first and most votes in favor of the trial judge, handed down shortly before midnight Tuesday. Following his verdict, the session was adjourned till this morning. This Thursday, when it resumed, the first vote was in favor of the ex-president’s release. This judge has charged, informs efe, the Courts should have “minimum interference” in the electoral process and the Election Court was not created to “remove mandates”. At the moment, Bolsonaro is the only opposition leader and has no seat. He lost his immunity on the day Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office, and two judges voted to disqualify him from upcoming election races. Bolsonaro’s political fate rests in the hands of three judges.

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