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Politics

Should Brazil’s military court decide whether to strip Jair Bolsonaro of his rank before or after the election? Inside the Bolsonaro STM case, the timing itself has become the fight.

Brazilian Army soldiers on parade. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Brazil’s Superior Military Court, the STM, must decide whether officers convicted by the Supreme Court over the attempted coup should also lose their military rank and position, a group that includes former president Jair Bolsonaro.

How and when it rules has become politically charged.

The Case for Waiting

According to reporting, a majority of the STM’s military ministers privately favor postponing the judgments until after the presidential elections.

Their argument is that a delay would reduce political pressure on the court and prevent the electoral campaign from contaminating sensitive decisions about the loss of rank and position.

The President’s Position

The court’s president, Minister Maria Elizabeth Rocha, struck a different tone. She said she will move the cases forward as soon as she receives the votes, with in-person judgments and no set deadline.

She stressed she does not intend to procrastinate and that the cases will follow due legal process.

The Coup Convictions

The proceedings flow from the Supreme Court’s rulings on the January 8 events and the broader attempt to overturn the 2022 election result.

Expulsion from the Armed Forces would be a separate, symbolic penalty on top of those criminal convictions, stripping rank from those found to have taken part.

Why It Matters

The timing question sits at the intersection of justice and politics, in a year when both are unusually raw in Brazil.

Whether the STM rules before or after the vote will shape how the decisions are read, and how much they weigh on the campaign.

Why the Ranks Are at Risk

The case before the Superior Military Court did not appear from nowhere. It follows final criminal convictions handed down by Brazil’s Supreme Court.

Those convictions covered the attempted coup and the January 8 events. The sentences ranged from 19 to 27 years in prison.

Under Brazil’s Constitution, a prison term exceeding two years opens the door to losing military rank. The Military Prosecutor’s Office then filed the formal request with the STM.

That request targets Bolsonaro, a reserve Army captain, and four retired senior officers. The list includes generals Augusto Heleno, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, and Braga Netto, plus Navy admiral Almir Garnier.

What Comes Next

The court’s president has made clear there is no legal deadline for a ruling. She will schedule judgment only after the rapporteurs release the cases.

That procedural reality means the timing remains genuinely open. A majority of military ministers may prefer to wait, but the president’s word is final.

Bolsonaro is already barred from elected office until 2030 by the electoral court. Losing his rank would add a deeply personal and symbolic cost.

For the Armed Forces, the decision will test their institutional distance from politics. The ruling, whenever it lands, will echo far beyond the courtroom.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the STM deciding about Bolsonaro?

The Superior Military Court is weighing whether to expel Jair Bolsonaro and other military figures convicted by the Supreme Court over the attempted coup from the Armed Forces, which would strip them of rank and position.

Will the STM rule before or after the elections?

A majority of the court’s military ministers reportedly favor waiting until after the presidential elections, but STM president Maria Elizabeth Rocha said she will proceed as votes arrive and does not intend to procrastinate.

Where do the cases come from?

They stem from the Supreme Court’s convictions related to the attempted coup and the January 8 events following the 2022 election.

Sources

• CNN Brasil – Entenda processo no STM que pode expulsar Bolsonaro das Forcas Armadas
• Brasil 247 – Ala do STM quer julgar militares golpistas so depois das eleicoes

Connected Coverage

• Brazil’s União Brasil Party Blocks Flávio Bolsonaro’s 2026 Bid
• Flávio Bolsonaro Pushes Fraud Claim, Brazil Court Rebuts
• Brazil’s Armed Forces to Secure 2026 Election in 7 States

Sources: Superior Military Court (STM); STM president Maria Elizabeth Rocha.