Brazil protests: Amid the violent protests in Brazil's national capital, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was allegedly fuelling riots, was admitted to a hospital in Florida on Monday with stomach pains. According to Bolsonaro, he has been suffering from his earlier wound that he received during an election campaign in 2018.
Notably, Brazil has been facing the worst ever political turbulence ever since the far-right leader was defeated in the last Presidential elections. The situation turned more gruesome after his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, took oath last week.
President Lula accused Bolsonaro for the current chaos
In a video message, the incumbent President Lula directly accused his predecessor of the current situation in the country and assured the countrymen to bring those responsible to justice. Earlier in a press conference and in a series of microblogging posts, President Lula accused the protestors of trying to "overthrow democracy". Also, he criticised Army for not taking appropriate action to discourage calls for a military coup outside their barracks.
Bolsonaro staying in US since October
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro, who has been staying in the United States following his debacle in the Presidential elections, refuted the claims and posted a picture wherein he can be seen in a hospital bed in Florida. According to the details mentioned in the microblogging post, Bolsonaro said he went to a hospital in Orlando on Monday after he developed intestinal pains that he received following a stabbing attempt in 2018.
Earlier in an interview with CNN Brasil, the former leader said he had made plans to stay in the US till January but as he developed issues related to his stomach, he would return to his country very soon in order to visit his doctors. "I would like to return to Brazil as the doctors already know about my earlier issues of intestinal obstruction due to the stab wound," he mentioned.
Bolsonaro stay in US under scanner
However, his stay in the US has already raised questions about the Biden administration as he had travelled to Washington with the head of state and diplomats when he was holding the chair. Earlier in a regular press conference, when a reporter asked about Bolsonaro overstaying in the US, State Department spokesperson Ned Price clarified that he had entered the country on a visa for foreign nationals. Also, he noted that any such officials or representatives have to depart the country within 30 days or apply for a change of immigration status "if they are no longer engaged in official business".
What political analysts believe
Political analysts had repeatedly warned that Bolsonaro was laying the groundwork for an insurrection in the mold of that which unfolded in the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. For months, he stoked belief among hardcore supporters that the nation’s electronic voting system was prone to fraud — though he never presented any evidence and independent experts disagreed.
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