(Reuters) – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said Tuesday that he was suing a Supreme Court justice, marking the latest episode in a running showdown between the president and the court that could spill into the country’s upcoming presidential election.
Bolsonaro filed the lawsuit against Justice Alexandre de Moraes for abuse of authority, citing alleged “attacks on democracy, disrespect for the constitution and contempt for fundamental rights and guarantees,” according to a text message to his supporters that was reviewed by Reuters after it was received from Ricardo Barros, who leads Bolsonaro’s party in the lower house of Congress.
Moraes is a frequent subject of Bolsonaro’s ire for his investigations into the president’s alleged dispersion of fake news and for overruling a number of presidential decrees.
Bolsonaro said his lawsuit was supported by Moraes’ “unjustified” investigation into the president’s role in the sharing of disinformation, as well as an investigation into Bolsonaro’s accusations against the country’s voting system.
The president, who is standing for re-election in October’s election, has repeatedly cast doubt about the integrity of the upcoming vote.
The Supreme Court and the Presidency did not reply to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters.
(Reporting by Carolina Pulice and Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle and Christian Schmollinger)
