Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup, in a landmark 4–1 ruling that could see the far-right leader face a lengthy prison sentence.
A majority of justices found the 70-year-old guilty of conspiring to overturn the results of the October 2022 presidential election, which he lost to leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro and seven co-defendants attempted to subvert the democratic process in a bid to remain in power, in a scheme that ultimately failed when the military refused to support it.
The conviction marks a dramatic chapter in Brazil’s ongoing political reckoning following the storming of Congress by Bolsonaro’s supporters in January 2023, just days after Lula’s inauguration. Rioters vandalized government buildings and clashed with police in scenes eerily reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump’s supporters.
In August, Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest for violating a court-imposed social media ban, deepening tensions between the former president and the judiciary. He has since been barred from public statements, banned from receiving visitors other than his legal team, and prohibited from using mobile phones. Any further violations, the court warned, could result in detention.
Bolsonaro’s legal troubles have derailed his ambitions of a political comeback in Brazil’s 2026 presidential election, for which he had been hoping to emulate Trump’s resurgence in the U.S.
Reacting to the ruling, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Bolsonaro’s conviction “very surprising,” and has previously criticized Brazil’s judicial actions as part of a politically motivated “witch hunt.” Trump reportedly considered imposing punitive tariffs on Brazil in response to what he viewed as persecution of the country’s former leader.
President Lula, now 79, has not ruled out running for a fourth term in 2026, saying his decision will depend on his health.
AFP
