‘I will not lead the opposition’

ReutersBolsonaro at a political rally in the US

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 05:04

Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro does not want to lead the opposition after returning to his own country. He wants to help his Liberal Party in opposing left-wing president Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro said this in conversation with CNN Brasil shortly before his expected return to Brazil.

After his election defeat, and two days before his term ended, Bolsonaro left for the United States at the end of last year, where he has been staying ever since. Everything points to him coming back to Brazil today.

Bolsonaro would initially have wanted to tackle his return in a big way, with a tour of Brasilia in an open car. However, the authorities see little in this, and have arranged extra police officers and security.

Latijns-Amerika-correspondent Nina Jurna:

“Bolsonaro still has a large following. His return will boost his party (PL) and supporters, I expect. But if it is up to the authorities, there will be no great reception, extra security measures will be taken to keep the peace at the airport in Brasilia where he arrives.

There are several investigations against Bolsonaro that could lead to prosecution. It is something like sixteen cases, ranging from, among other things, his approach to the covid-19 pandemic, in which more than 600,000 Brazilians died. His role in the storming of the parliament, presidential palace and supreme court in January is also under investigation. Then there is an investigation into the spread of fake news, and to what extent Bolsonaro can be held responsible for spreading misinformation.

But recently Bolsonaro has also been discredited for accepting jewelry during a visit to Saudi Arabia. His wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, is said to have received $ 3 million worth of jewelry. Bolsonaro is said to have adopted a diamond-encrusted Rolex, among other things. That jewelry has not been declared as required by law.”

On January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the parliament, presidential palace and the Supreme Court. It is still unclear what exactly Bolsonaro’s role was in this. He himself said he had nothing to do with it. The storming has also been compared to the storming of the Capitol in Washington DC

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