Brazil's chief prosecutor has charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with an attempted coup after he failed in the 2022 presidential election. The 69-year-old has been accused of five charges about an alleged attempt to stop his successor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking office after a tense election.

The charges include claims that he plotted to poison Lula and assassinate Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing, calling the accusations a case of political persecution. The Supreme Court will now review the prosecutor’s suggestion. Bolsonaro and 33 others will be formally charged and brought to trial if approved.

Jair Bolsonaro was barred from running for office for eight years after being accused of threatening Brazilian democracy by falsely claiming that the electronic ballots used in the October 2022 election were susceptible to hacking and fraud. The election was intensely contested and was won by a very slim margin by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or Lula. Bolsonaro never publicly accepted his defeat and left Brazil for the US just two days before Lula’s inauguration. On January 8, 2023, his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília, vandalising parts of them. Police arrested 1,500 rioters during the incident.

Three months back, the federal police discharged a report charging Bolsonaro with playing a central role in planning and organising an attempted coup. The report claims he even suggested the idea to key military figures to prevent Lula from taking office.

The document charging Bolsonaro states that a criminal organisation he led was responsible for actions threatening the democratic order.

This marks the start of legal proceedings, and Bolsonaro will likely face trial.

One of the charges against him is for leading an "armed criminal organisation" alongside his vice-presidential candidate, Walter Braga Netto.

According to Attorney General Paulo Gonet Branco, the alleged plot also involved plans to poison Lula and assassinate Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, one of Bolsonaro’s political opponents.

"Allied with other individuals, including civilians and military personnel, they attempted to prevent, in a coordinated manner, the result of the 2022 presidential elections from being fulfilled," he stated.

Brazilian media reports that the Supreme Court will likely move forward with the trial later this year.

The prosecutor’s decision has sparked reactions highlighting the deep political divisions that have shaped Brazil over the past decade.

Government supporters are celebrating, arguing that the former president should be jailed, while the opposition maintains his innocence.

The attention is now on how the Supreme Court's decision will influence next year's presidential election. Recent opinion polls indicate unprecedented disapproval of President Lula.

Although Bolsonaro is barred from running for office, he remains a significant political figure in Brazil and may use the trial to further his agenda.