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Justice Edson Fachin, in a decision posted on the court's
website, ruled against the request from Lula's legal team, which
argued that Brazil was required to follow the recommendation of
the United Nations Human Rights Committee and allow Lula to run
for office from jail.
Lula, Brazil's most popular politician, is serving a 12-year
sentence for a corruption conviction. His Workers Party (PT)
registered him as its presidential candidate for the Oct. 7 vote
anyway, saying he is innocent.
Lula is ineligible for office under Brazil's "Clean Slate" law,
which prohibits candidates from running if they have convictions
that have been upheld on appeal.
Despite his conviction and several graft cases pending against
him, Lula leads the race by a long stretch, with 39 percent of
voter support, according to pollster Datafolha. His nearest
rival, far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, has 19 percent.
Thursday's decision was another blow to Lula's effort to run and
pushes the PT closer to choosing former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando
Haddad, now running as vice president on the ticket, to stand
for the presidency.
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Brad Brooks; Editing by
Peter Graff)
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