Nov 23, 2022 - World

Brazil court fines Bolsonaro allies over $4M for "bad faith" election challenge

Rebecca Falconer

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro appears to make a statement for the first time since Sunday's presidential run-off election, at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, on November 1. — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on Nov. 1. Photo: Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images

Brazil's electoral court fined parties in outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro's government Wednesday after they challenged his presidential election loss to leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last month.

Details: Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who heads the electoral court, rejected the challenge and issued a fine totaling 22.9 million reais ($4.27 million) for "bad faith litigation" and ruled government funds for the Liberal Party coalition must be suspended until the penalty is paid, per Reuters.

The big picture: Lula won the Oct. 30 runoff by a slim margin in a stunning political comeback for the former president, who was sidelined during the previous presidential election because of corruption convictions.

What he's saying: "The complete bad faith of the plaintiff’s bizarre and illicit request ... was proven, both by the refusal to add to the initial petition and the total absence of any evidence of irregularities and the existence of a totally fraudulent narrative of the facts," wrote de Moraes in his ruling, according to AP.

Go deeper:

Add Axios on Google

Brazil court fines Bolsonaro allies over $4M for "bad faith" election challenge

What to read next