Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged with leading a plot to overthrow his 2022 election defeat, dealing another blow to his chances of returning to power.
The country’s top prosecutor, Paulo Gonet, accused Bolsonaro and his running mate, General Walter Braga Netto, of heading a “criminal organization” that tried to destroy Brazil’s 40-year democracy. The charges name 34 people in total, including several military leaders like former security adviser General Augusto Heleno and ex-Navy Commander Almir Garnier Santos.
“The responsibility for acts harmful to the democratic order falls upon a criminal organization led by Jair Messias Bolsonaro, based on an authoritarian project of power,” the charges state. While Bolsonaro is unlikely to be arrested before trial, that could change if the judge overseeing the case, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, thinks he might flee.
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The charges come after a two-year police investigation into Bolsonaro’s role in election denial that led to riots in Brazil’s capital in early 2023, just after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office. Prosecutors say the plot included plans to poison Lula, who had narrowly beaten Bolsonaro in the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro’s lawyers say he never supported any anti-democratic movements. His son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, called the charges “unconstitutional and immoral.” This is the first criminal charge against the former president, who is already banned from running for office until 2030.
If found guilty, Bolsonaro could face at least 12 years in prison. His allies are now trying to build political support and change laws to help clear his path to a comeback, though polls show Lula’s popularity has also hit record lows.
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