Lula clear to take on Bolsonaro as Brazil court upholds ruling

The next presidential election is set for October 2022 and the devastating toll of the pandemic is likely to be a key issue.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has upheld a ruling annulling the corruption convictions of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, clearing the way for him to run for a new presidential term next year against incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. The majority decision, which was widely expected, came on Thursday after Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin determined in early March that the lower federal court where Lula was tried lacked jurisdiction; a ruling that was quickly appealed by Brazil’s top prosecutor. The ruling does not find Lula innocent but in effect places prosecutors back at square one by sending the cases to a different court.