Bolsonaro clings to his political future as electoral court case begins

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he greets supporters at Salgado Filho International Airport, on the day the Electoral Justice begins the trial to determine his political rights, as he arrives in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Diego Vara

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's future in office hung in the balance on Thursday, as the country's federal electoral court (TSE) began a trial that could leave him in the political wilderness for nearly a decade.

Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who in October narrowly lost Brazil's most fraught election in a generation, stands accused of abusing his presidential power last year when he summoned foreign diplomats to publicly vent unfounded attacks on the country's electronic voting system.