Bolsonaro appeals to the Supreme Court to invalidate TSE's actions regarding meeting with ambassadors against the use of electronic voting machines.
The meeting took place in July of last year, and Bolsonaro questioned the inviolability of electronic voting machines and made coup threats.
247 - The defense team for Jair Bolsonaro and his party, the PL, wants the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to invalidate lawsuits pending before the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) regarding the former president's meeting with dozens of foreign ambassadors at the Alvorada Palace.
The meeting took place in July of last year, and Bolsonaro questioned the inviolability of electronic voting machines and made coup threats. The TSE (Superior Electoral Court) fined Bolsonaro's campaign R$ 25 for irregular early campaigning.
This could strengthen the argument that Bolsonaro improperly used the Alvorada Palace structure to attack the integrity of the electoral process. Some lawsuits seek to make the former president ineligible to run for office.
The appeals aim to bring the issue of irregular campaigning to the Supreme Court. In them, Bolsonaro and PL's electoral lawyer, Tarcísio Vieira, states that the former president held the meeting "in his capacity as head of state" and "seeking to resolve any doubts about the transparency of the electoral process." At the event, the defense claims, "all doubts about the electronic voting system were presented directly and clearly to the international community."
"It is necessary to reiterate that the status of being a candidate for re-election does not invalidate the exercise of the Presidency of the Republic, in which Jair Messias Bolsonaro remained until the end of December 2022. In this sense, the acts he performed as head of the Executive Branch were outside the scope of the Electoral Court," the lawyers say.
"It is important to note that the event — held before the election period! — was previously announced, including an invitation addressed to the Honorable President of the Superior Electoral Court, and it is not credible that the Appellant [Bolsonaro] would invite a member of the Specialized Court itself to witness an event with electoral connotations in which the intention was to commit an illegal act," they argue.
The defense argues that Bolsonaro had legitimate doubts about the security and transparency of the electoral process and "had a point he wanted to raise with the international community."
The lawyers further argue that the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) has changed its jurisprudence regarding what constitutes early campaigning. Therefore, the court should only apply sanctions based on this new understanding starting with future elections.
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