Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former president of Brazil, went on trial Tuesday in a case that prosecutors say is about nothing less than the survival of the country’s democratic order.
The charges stem from his refusal to accept defeat in the 2022 election, which he lost to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro tried to subvert the results by drafting emergency decrees, encouraging loyalists to pressure the armed forces, and laying the groundwork for the storming of Brazil’s seats of power in January 2023.
At the center of the case is what investigators call a “coup decree,” a draft order that would have annulled the election and authorized the detention of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the electoral system. Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro’s former aide who later agreed to cooperate with investigators, told authorities that the document was discussed at the highest levels and that Bolsonaro personally altered it.
Other evidence includes encrypted messages, notes, and recordings seized during a police investigation known as Operation Tempus Veritatis. Prosecutors say these materials show that Bolsonaro and his allies were exploring scenarios to remain in power months before the vote took place.
The January 8, 2023 attacks on Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters are also cited as part of the alleged coup effort. Authorities say the riots were not spontaneous but the culmination of a campaign to undermine the election outcome.
Bolsonaro has denied orchestrating a coup. He has acknowledged discussions with advisers about “alternative ways” to challenge the vote but has insisted that any such talks were within constitutional limits. His lawyers argue that the draft decree was never implemented and that the prosecution is an attempt to criminalize political debate.
The trial is expected to last up to two weeks and will be decided by a five-judge panel of the Supreme Federal Court. Conviction could lead to a lengthy prison sentence and permanently bar Bolsonaro, already disqualified from running for office until 2030 in a separate case, from returning to politics.
International reaction has been sharp. Former U.S. president Donald J. Trump, who has long described Bolsonaro as a close ally, denounced the trial as a “witch hunt.” In response, his administration announced steep tariffs on Brazilian exports and sanctions against several justices of Brazil’s Supreme Court, moves that analysts say have strained ties between Brasília and Washington.
Brazil’s democracy has faced such threats before. The country endured two decades of military rule that ended in the 1980s, and Bolsonaro has often spoken fondly of that era. For critics, his rhetoric and actions in office set the stage for the current crisis.
The Stakes
Whatever the outcome, the case is being described by Brazilian media and international observers as the most consequential trial in the nation’s recent history. A conviction would send a message that even the most powerful figures can be held accountable under the rule of law. An acquittal, some analysts warn, could embolden extremist movements and deepen polarization in Latin America’s largest democracy.
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