By Staff, Agencies A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Monday annulled the criminal convictions against former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a move that could allow the popular politician to run in next year’s presidential election. In a surprise decision, Justice Edson Fachin said that a court in the southern city of Curitiba did not have the authority to try Lula on corruption charges and that he must be retried in federal courts in the capital Brasilia.

The ruling, which will be reviewed by the full Supreme Court, restored Lula’s political rights, potentially blowing open the 2022 presidential race, when right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro is expected to seek re-election.

The country’s prosecutor general’s office said it would appeal the decision, a spokesperson for Prosecutor General Augusto Aras said on Monday.

Lula said in a statement shared on Twitter that the ruling on Monday “affirms the incompetence of the Federal Justice of Curitiba” and is recognition that he has been correct throughout his long legal battle.

Bolsonaro said on Monday he hopes the Supreme Court reverses the ruling, and that the judge who annulled Lula’s convictions always had a strong link to Lula’s PT party.

The Brazilian president has faced widespread criticism in recent weeks for his government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he remains very popular.

Brazil has seen a recent surge in coronavirus-related deaths, as Bolsonaro continues to eschew public health restrictions.

More than 265,000 people have died due to the virus in the country, while more than 11 million COVID-19 cases have been reported.

Lula governed Latin America’s most populous country and largest economy between 2003 and 2011.

He was convicted in 2017 of corruption and money laundering in the country’s biggest corruption investigation, known as “Operation Car Wash”.

The former president was jailed a year later, which blocked him from running in the elections that year.

He was then released from prison in late 2019, but could not run for office due to his criminal record