Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who in October narrowly lost Brazil's most fraught election in a generation, stands accused of abusing his presidential power last year when he summoned foreign diplomats to publicly vent unfounded attacks on the country's electronic voting system.

The trial was adjourned after lawyers for both Bolsonaro and the center-left Democratic Labor Party, which sued him for abuse of power, made their opening remarks.

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)