As Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro falls further and further behind in the polls, his unsupported claim that the 2022 elections could be rigged have only increased in fervor and frequency. But those freewheeling statements have now sparked investigations that could threaten his very eligibility to run as a presidential candidate at all. After a series of claims by Bolsonaro that the country's electronic voting system is insufficient and that it has been "violated" in past years, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which oversees elections, has opened an administrative inquiry into the president's statements.

It has also requested that Bolsonaro be investigated as part of a larger ongoing probe into the proliferation of "fake news" and disinformation campaigns in Brazil. Both could come with significant political consequences for Bolsonaro. If the TSE inquiry finds that the president abused his position to spread misinformation, Bolsonaro could be barred from running for office for eight years, according to Wallace Corbo, professor of constitutional law at Getúlio Vargas Foundation University (FGV).

"As president, Bolsonaro is allowed and expected to take part in public discussions," Corbo said. "What he cannot do -- and has been doing -- is systematically attack the electoral system by which he was elected." In a press conference last week, Bolsonaro promised to prove that Brazil´s internationally praised voting system is rigged, but provided no evidence and acknowledged, "we don't have proof." He only played a series of inconclusive YouTube videos and media reports, examples that Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) refuted.

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