Brazil's top electoral court reviews Lula's candidacy

Brazil's top electoral court on Friday begins reviewing the presidential candidacy of former head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (pictured), who is currently serving a prison term for corruption. The court is widely expected to determine that Lula cannot run in the October general election.

Earlier this month, leftist workers' party (PT) officially registered Lula as its candidate. A few hours after the PT registered Lula, attorney general Raquel Dodge filed a legal action to block his candidacy.

Lula, who governed from 2003 to 2011, turned himself to federal police in April to begin a 12-year prison sentence for corruption and money laundering. Under Brazilian election rules, a person serving a prison sentence cannot run for public office, but the PT is appealing the rule, as the top electoral court had yet to decide on Lula's case.

The electoral court will begin to review the case late Friday. A verdict can take place later in the day, or court members could demand more time, which would mean a final decision could be delayed by days or even weeks, a court spokesperson told BNamericas.

Brazilians will head to the polls in October to vote for a president, state governors and legislators.

"Lula and PT know very well that he can't be a candidate. The strategy of PT is to keep Lula in the race until the last minute, using him as a martyr, an icon to attract votes to its other candidates," David Fleischer, emeritus professor of political science at the Universidade de Brasília, told BNamericas recently.

According to analysts, PT seeks to keep its power and influence, even if it is unable to win back the presidency, by electing state governors and legislators in October.

PT registered former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad as VP candidate on the same ticket as Lula, and Haddad is expected to eventually become the presidential candidate.

The electoral situation in Brazil is highly complex and is forcing polling firms to carry out surveys with and without Lula's name. All polls with Lula's name have him with a commanding lead. Haddad, meanwhile, has failed to gain any traction with voters.

With Lula's absence, ultra-rightwing lawmaker and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro, who has controversial proposals such as arming the population to fight crime, is the frontrunner, while centrist and market-friendly candidates are lagging far behind.