Brazil’s Bolsonaro undergoes surgery after being hospitalized

JAIR BOLSONARO VIA X VIA REUTERS / APRIL 12

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he lies in a bed in Rio Grande Hospital, in Natal, Brazil, in this social media picture obtained by Reuters.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is undergoing surgery on Sunday, his fifth since being stabbed in the stomach while campaigning in 2018, his medical team said in a statement.

The procedure started at 8:30 a.m. local time (1130 GMT) and was scheduled to last six hours, but was going longer than expected, representative Sostenes Cavalcante, one of the former president’s key allies, told Reuters. “But the information I have is that it’s going well,” he added.

Bolsonaro, 70, was hospitalized on Friday after feeling strong abdominal pain during an event with supporters in northeastern Brazil, forcing him to break off a regional tour aimed at drumming up political support. He was transferred to the nation’s capital, Brasilia, where he lives, on Saturday night.

Bolsonaro, a hard-right former army captain who served as president from 2019 to 2022, has been campaigning around Brazil for Congress to pass an amnesty bill for his supporters who stormed the capital after he lost the 2022 election.

In a message to allies before the surgery, the former president criticized the harsh punishment against a supporter who could be sentenced to 10 years in prison, and again called for Congress to pass the amnesty bill.

“May God enlighten each of the 513 representatives and 81 senators in their votes,” he wrote. “If with our decisions we pave our eternity, this vote carries a significant weight.”

Don't miss out on what's happening!

Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!

Email Sign Up
By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser's and Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA.

Brazil’s Supreme Court decided in March to put Bolsonaro on trial for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government after his 2022 electoral defeat. He has denied any wrongdoing and called the trial an example of left-wing “lawfare” targeting conservative leaders like himself and France’s Marine Le Pen.

Bolsonaro has already been banned from running for office until 2030 for discrediting the country’s voting system. If the Supreme Court finds him guilty, he could face a long prison sentence.

Still, the right-wing leader insists that he will run in next year’s presidential election, casting himself as the best candidate to confront leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose popularity has slipped amid high inflation.

0 Comments
By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines. Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.
Please log in to comment