Eight-year ban on elections for Jair Bolsonaro

(Patria) - Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court voted 5-2 to ban former President Jair
Bolsonaro from running for office for the next eight years, the BBC reported.

Bolsonaro was found guilty of abuse of power ahead of last year's presidential
elections. He was accused of undermining Brazilian democracy with the false claim that the electronic
ballots used were susceptible to hacking and fraud.

The election ban is dated back to October 2, 2022, when the presidential elections were held.
If the verdict stands, after an appeal that will likely be filed, Bolsonaro will not be eligible to participate in the next presidential elections in 2026,
but will be able to run again in 2030. He will also be banned from participating
in the municipal elections in 2024 and 2028.

Bolsonaro called the decision "a stab in the back" and said he would continue to work to
promote right-wing policies in Brazil.

The case against the former president revolved around a speech he gave while still president
in 2022. On July 18, he invited foreign diplomats to his residence in the capital
Brasilia, where he falsely claimed that the electronic voting machines used in Brazil were susceptible to hacking and open to large-scale fraud.

His supporters, who refused to accept the election results, stormed the Brazilian Congress, the presidential palace, and the Supreme Court building on January 8.

Current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the aforementioned elections.