Bolsonaro hospitalised in US after Brasilia riots

The conservative leader, who travelled to the US on 30 December to skip the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is being treated at the AdventHealth Celebration, a hospital near Orlando, O Globo newspaper reported earlier.

Bolsonaro’s wife confirmed he’s hospitalised though she didn’t say where. A former aide to Bolsonaro, who requested anonymity to discuss his health, said he was being treated for possible intestinal obstruction. The ex-president has undergone several surgeries after being stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning in 2018.

The former president on Monday evening posted a photograph of himself on his Twitter page showing him in a hospital bed, adding that he’s in Orlando. “Thanks for the prayers and messages of speedy recovery,” he said.  

Emails and calls to the US hospital went unanswered. 

While Lula has alleged that Bolsonaro had been encouraging the riots in Brasilia, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday the Biden administration hasn’t received any requests from Brazil to extradite the former president.

Bolsonaro published on social media on Sunday, speaking out against the depredation of public buildings carried out by his supporters in Brasilia, and again on Monday, touting his government’s achievements.

Back in Brazil, a  day after the country’s capital was stormed by Bolsonaro’s supporters, Lula worked from his office, where he met with governors as well as the heads of congress and the Supreme Court.

“We are not going to allow democracy to slip out of our hands,” Lula said at the meeting. “They want a coup, and there won’t be a coup.”

All 27 governors accepted Lula’s invitation – even allies of Bolsonaro such as the governor of São Paulo state, Tarcísio de Freitas – to meet in the Palácio do Planalto, damaged by rioters the day before. 

“Brazilian democracy will become even stronger,” the governor said following the meeting.

The president, governors, heads of congress and court justices then all walked together to the top court building, which had also been vandalised, as demonstrations in defence of democracy took place in several cities nationwide, including São Paulo.

In Congress, also attacked on Sunday, a decree to intervene in the Federal District government through the end of January was approved by the lower house in a symbolic vote. The senate will take up the bill on Tuesday. BM/DM