2022 Race

Bolsonaro’s meeting with Supreme Court justices cut short

President Bolsonaro met with the Supreme Court's Edson Fachin and Alexandre de Moraes today. The pair will preside over Brazil's electoral court this year. Photo: Carolina Antunes/PR
President Bolsonaro met with the Supreme Court’s Edson Fachin and Alexandre de Moraes today. The pair will preside over Brazil’s electoral court this year. Photo: Carolina Antunes/PR

President Jair Bolsonaro hosted a meeting with Supreme Court Justices Edson Fachin and Alexandre de Moraes this morning, but the encounter lasted little over ten minutes, enough time for Messrs. Fachin and Moraes to invite the president to their inauguration as chair and deputy-chair of Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE). 

The Supreme Court justices’ vehicles arrived at the president’s office at 11:21 am and left at 11:36 am. According to Mr. Bolsonaro’s public schedule, the meeting was set to last for at least 30 minutes. The encounter comes at a time of conflict between the Judiciary and Executive branches. 

In late January, Justice Moraes subpoenaed Mr. Bolsonaro to testify to the Federal Police, claiming that the president committed a crime by releasing classified information concerning an investigation into a cyberattack against TSE servers. The president used the documents to endorse false fraud claims about Brazil’s 100-percent electronic voting system.