Moraes requests a review, and the agenda for the annulment of the Bolsonaro-Mourão ticket is postponed.
With a 3-2 vote in favor of investigations seeking the annulment of the ticket of Jair Bolsonaro and Hamilton Mourão, the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) interrupted the trial of the case on Tuesday night, the 9th, after a request for review by Minister Alexandre de Moraes.
Sputnik Brazil - Trial of actions in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) that could result in the annulment of the Bolsonaro-Mourão presidential ticket was postponed this Tuesday (9) after a request for review by Alexandre de Moraes.
The TSE (Superior Electoral Court) is judging whether the ticket participated in—and possibly benefited electorally from—a digital attack on a virtual page created in 2018 by women opposed to then-candidate Jair Bolsonaro.
This is the second time the analysis of the lawsuits has been postponed. In 2019, the case's rapporteur, Minister Og Fernandes, ruled against the lawsuit. He considered that the page was hacked, but it was not possible to identify Bolsonaro's participation or complicity. At the time, Minister Edson Fachin requested a review.
In resuming his vote this Tuesday (9), he requested the reopening of the evidence phase of the process. The authors of the two actions, presented by the coalitions Unidos para Transformar o Brasil (Rede/PV), of Marina Silva, and Vamos Sem Medo de Mudar o Brasil (PSOL/PCB), of Guilherme Boulos, had requested an expert analysis, but Og Fernandes denied it, arguing that the Civil Police of Bahia was investigating the case.
Today, Fachin said that the Bahia police have not concluded the investigation and requested the reopening of the evidence-gathering phase of the process, only to resume the trial afterwards.
'Women with Bolsonaro'
Alongside him were ministers Tarcísio Vieira and Carlos Velloso Filho. Minister Luís Felipe Salomão dissented. Alexandre de Moraes, in turn, requested a review to further consider the matter, and the judgment was postponed once again. There is no date set for the case to be discussed again.
In September 2018, the online group "Women United Against Bolsonaro," which had over 2,7 million members, was hacked. The page's content was altered, with messages supporting the then-PSL candidate or containing offensive content, and its title was changed to "Women with Bolsonaro #17." Furthermore, participants who criticized Bolsonaro were removed from the group.
After the attack, Bolsonaro posted the message "Thank you for your consideration, women of all of Brazil" on his official Twitter profile.
Other actions at the TSE
These two lawsuits are not the only ones pending before the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) involving the ticket formed by Bolsonaro and his vice-president, Hamilton Mourão.
Four other investigations are looking into alleged irregularities in the contracting of mass messaging services via the WhatsApp application during the election campaign.
The Court will decide whether the material from the fake news inquiry, an investigation requested by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to investigate a digital militia network, can be attached to the proceedings.
Another investigation is looking into the installation of billboards supporting Bolsonaro in at least 33 municipalities across 13 states. There is also a case investigating the misuse of media outlets, in which Bolsonaro was acquitted, but an appeal is still pending.