Brazil court bars Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years

• The populist former president will also be banned from seeking any lower office.

Zoom in: The ruling is based on Bolsonaro's baseless claims in the lead-up to last October's election — which he narrowly lost in a run-off — that Brazil's electronic voting system could be rigged against him.

• After the election, Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the presidential palace and other government buildings. An investigation into alleged incitement of the rioters by Bolsonaro is ongoing.
• Bolsonaro has denied any responsibility for the riot and accused the courts of political persecution.
• “For the love of God, what kind of democracy is this? Why can’t I criticize the voting system?" he said in a recent radio interview, per WSJ.

What to watch: Pro-Bolsonaro members of Congress are preparing a bill to lift the ban, though critics — including Brazil's justice minister — argue that would be unconstitutional.

• Bolsonaro has also been caught up in other investigations, including a probe into the spread of disinformation online and another into the alleged procurement of fake vaccine cards.
• Even before the ruling, it was unclear whether Bolsonaro would try to return to front-line politics, or simply continue to serve as the unofficial leader of the nationalist right.