Bolsonaro adversary to analyze president’s candidacy

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been picked as rapporteur to analyze the registration of President Jair Bolsonaro’s re-election bid. All candidates must register their candidacy with the electoral authorities by August 15. 

Justice Moraes will take over the presidency of the Superior Electoral Court next week. He is also responsible for three of the four investigations involving Mr. Bolsonaro in the Federal Supreme Court. 

The judge is the target of constant criticism from the president, who sees Justice Moraes as an enemy of his government. Recently, Justice Moraes rejected a request from the Federal Prosecution Office to shelve one of the investigations involving the president. 

As rapporteur on Mr. Bolsonaro’s candidacy registration, the judge will draft a report on the statements filed by the president’s campaign office on Tuesday. This year, Mr. Bolsonaro declared he has 20 percent fewer assets than he owned in 2018.

He also submitted a generic government plan that repeats the main issues he usually defends, such as making access to firearms easier, reducing public spending, and raising the threshold for income tax.

The plan also speaks of maintaining Auxílio Brasil, a benefit for poor families, at BRL 600 per month, without mentioning where the funds will come from. The government increased the value of the benefit by 50 percent starting this month, a measure currently due to only last until the end of the year.

Mr. Bolsonaro’s running mate, retired Army General Walter Braga Netto, helped draw up the 48-page document, which was drafted under the slogan “For the sake of Brazil.”

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