Brazil electoral court to probe Bolsonaro rallies, source says

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro looks on during a ceremony at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil September 14, 2021. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's federal electoral court (TSE) is set to probe the funding of last week's rallies in support of President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as alleged election campaigning outside the allotted legal time frame, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Bolsonaro, who is down in the polls ahead of next year's vote, was banking on the Sept. 7 marches to fire up his base, ease pressure from the judiciary and reanimate his re-election hopes. The rallies drew large crowds and avoided the violence some feared, but few saw them as a game-changer for Bolsonaro.