Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro barred from office for 8 years

June 30 (UPI) -- Brazil's highest electoral court voted Friday to bar former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030, after alleging that he abused his political power and violated the country's election laws.

Five out of the seven judges voted to convict Bolsonaro on charges that he spread false information about Brazil's electoral system and brought its credibility into question.

Bolsonaro said he would appeal the court's decision, CNN reported.

Bolsonaro narrowly lost the election to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After weeks of casting doubt on the election results, pro-Bolsonaro protesters broke into government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8.

Brazil's Democratic Labor Party brought the suit against Bolsonaro and Walter Braga Netto, his running mate in the 2022 elections. The majority of judges voted to find Braga Netto not guilty.

A report by Judge Benedito Gonçalves concluded that Bolsonaro allegedly said the 2022 elections might be compromised due to fraud.

He also said that in 2018 voting machines had changed voters' choices to benefit his opponent, and that the Brazilian voting machines are not auditable, while insinuating that electoral and judicial authorities were protecting "terrorists."