The impact of the electoral court's ruling is likely to ripple through Brazilian politics, removing Lula's main foe from contention in 2026 and opening up space among a competitive field on Brazil's right."Some important messages come from the TSE trial: lying is not a legitimate tool for exercising a public function and politics is not governed by the law of the jungle," Justice Minister Flavio Dino tweeted. "Democracy has overcome its toughest stress test in decades.
Bolsonaro — seen speaking to members of the media on Friday — has denied wrongdoing. He described the decision as a 'stab in the back,' and pledged to keep working to advance right-wing politics in Brazil.Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyers have pledged to appeal to the Supreme Court. On Friday, he described the decision as a "stab in the back," and pledged to keep working to advance right-wing politics in Brazil.
His hopes of beating Lula in the 2026 presidential election may be over, but that doesn't mean there won't be a Bolsonaro running in three years' time. Bolsonaro has said he would support his wife, Michelle, as candidate. "'Our dream is more alive than ever,'" she wrote on Instagram after the ruling. "I am at your command, my CAPTAIN."Bolsonaro, Trump and the Brazil riots | The BreakdownOn Jan. 8, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brazil's Congress, protesting his election loss. Brazilian Report editor-in-chief Gustavo Ribeiro and Poder360 senior editor Guilherme Waltenberg break down what happened and what role the former Brazilian president played.
As president, Jair Bolsonaro, an avowed admirer of former U.S. president Donald Trump, was criticized internationally for his