BRAZIL – Minister Benedito Goncalvesmagistrate of the Higher Electoral Court (TSE), decided this Saturday, 12, to give the President a three-day period to Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and General Walter Braga Netto (LP), who was their running mate for this year’s vice-presidential election, justify the request for witnesses with actions calling for an investigation into the political use of the Independence Day celebrations.

Responding to requests for an investigation by the PDT and Senator Soraya Tronicke (União-MS), Bolsonaro and Braga Netto demanded the hearing of 12 witnesses, such as the governors of Rio de Janeiro, Claudio Castro (Poland), of the Federal District of Ibanes Rocha. (MDB) ), and Ministers of Defense Paulo Sergio Nogueira and Ciro Nogueira of the Civic Chamber. Now, according to the Minister of TSE, it is necessary to prove the “usefulness of the required evidence.” Although he mentions that testimony is “always admissible”, Gonçalves believes that “every evidence-based initiative should be directed towards a useful outcome”.

In addition to governors and ministers, the following persons were called as witnesses: Luis Fernando Bandeira de Mello, Councilor of the National Council of Justice (CNJ); Joao Enrique Nascimento de Freitas, Chief Adviser to the President of the Republic; Eduardo Maranha Guimarães Lessa, Deputy Head of the Ceremonial of the President of the Republic; Flavio Botelho Peregrino, army colonel; Luis Claudio Macedo Santos, army brigadier general; Archbishop Marconi Vinicius Ferreira, Ordinary Military Bishop of Brazil; José Pedro, Ambassador of Cape Verde to Brazil; and Emmanuel Pereira, Minister of the High Court of Labor.

The PDT lawsuit asks to investigate “campaigning activities during the civil parade commemorating the bicentenary of Brazilian independence” on September 7 in order to “distort the event in order to promote his candidacy”. Soraya asks for an investigation into the use of public machine structures to host the event.

In a speech given in a sound machine after the September 7 parade at the Esplanada dos Ministérios in Brasilia, which is traditionally held every year and involves representatives of the three powers, Bolsonaro spoke in a rally tone. “Everyone knows what the Federal Supreme Court is,” he said, pausing for his supporters to boo the judiciary. “We are all changing. We are all improving and can become better in the future.” The head of the executive branch also repeated the motto of “the fight between good and evil.” The acts contained several posters calling for military intervention and the dismissal of Supreme Court ministers.

Chamber presidents Arthur Lira (PP-AL), Senate presidents Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) and STF presidents Luis Fuchs did not participate in the military parade this year. On the same day, the president also took part in a rally on the Copacabana beach in Rio. After the demonstration of the Armed Forces on the embankment to mark the bicentennial of Independence, the president once again addressed his supporters via a van.

In response to the TSE, Bolsonaro’s ticket stated that the military parade and the supporters’ actions were part of two different situations and that the protesters participated in it voluntarily. Despite the fact that the president justified the spontaneity of action, Stadao showed that rural entrepreneurs financed the demonstrations. Minister Benedito Gonçalves also gave the PDT and the senator three days to comment on the rationale given in the Bolsonaro-Braga Netto ticket.

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