Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday ‍found ⁤former President Jair Bolsonaro guilty of ⁤conspiracies related to his failed 2022 reelection bid. The court found that Bolsonaro tried to instigate a ⁤military coup and to poison his opponent, current President Luiz inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro, ⁣the former president of Latin America’s largest democracy and its wealthiest country, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison and is barred from ever seeking public office again.

Bolsonaro ⁤is one among ⁣two dozen elected presidents and prime ministers in recent history around the world⁤ who used their time in office to undermine their countries’ democratic institutions. In addition to⁤ undermining confidence in elections, the Brazilian leader weakened public and scientific ⁢ institutions by defunding them. Bolsonaro’s family and political ‍associates faced repeated scandals. As a consequence, the president governed in constant fear of impeachment⁣ -‍ a ⁤fate that had ended the ‍careers of two prior Brazilian presidents⁣ since the country’s return ⁤to democracy in 1998. To avoid this outcome, Bolsonaro forged alliances with⁢ an array of legislative parties and strange bedfellows. Brazilian political scientists describe ⁣the implicit agreement: “The deal is simple: you protect ‍me⁢ and I let you ⁤run the Country and extract rents from it as you wish.”

curiously, the⁣ decision⁤ is also a setback for President Trump here in the united States.⁢ Trump views Bolsonaro as an ally who, like him, has been⁣ persecuted by leftists and subjected to⁢ retribution by courts. The American president tried hard to stop the Brazilian court⁣ from ruling against Bolsonaro. In