Brazil’s Higher Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Thursday, October 28, dismissed for the first time an elected official for disseminating false information, a few days after a video of President Jair Bolsonaro was removed from social networks for the same reason.
Six of the seven TSE judges voted for the dismissal of the right-wing regional deputy Fernando Francischini, who sat in the legislative assembly of the state of Parana (south of the country). He was also declared ineligible until 2026. Federal Police Commissioner, Mr. Francischini was also one of Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign coordinators for the 2018 presidential election.
During a direct on social networks on the day of the first round of the poll, he said that the electronic ballot boxes had been manipulated to prevent the victory of Mr. Bolsonaro.
It is because of this declaration, made without presenting any evidence, that he was dismissed by the TSE, for “undue use of means of communication” and “abuse of political power and authority”. This decision has immediate effect, but the member can still appeal to the Supreme Court.
Warning for the 2022 election campaign
Hours earlier, the TSE had tried another case directly concerning President Bolsonaro, accused of having benefited from funding by business leaders for the massive sending of messages on WhatsApp criticizing his political opponents during the 2018 campaign.
The head of state was not convicted, the judges considering that they did not have sufficient evidence. But the TSE warned that, during the campaign for the 2022 general election, “Massive sending of messages containing lies or false information” could be sanctioned for the same reasons that led him to dismiss MP Francischini.
Like the latter, Jair Bolsonaro has long criticized the electronic ballot box system in force since 1996, without ever providing any evidence. This week, his last weekly direct, in which he cited false information comparing the Covid-19 vaccine and AIDS, was removed from Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The far-right president’s YouTube channel was blocked for seven days on Monday, and senators on Tuesday called for the suspension of his accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.