Bolsonaro cancels July agenda due to new health problems
Former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is facing trial accused of attempting a coup d'état against Lula, canceled all of his July commitments due to new digestive problems resulting from the stabbing he suffered in 2018.
The former president, 70, was treated urgently on Tuesday night after feeling unwell and on Wednesday he underwent tests at a hospital in Brasilia that revealed inflammation of the esophagus and gastritis, according to a report from his doctors.
“Bouts of hiccups and vomiting have become constant, things that prevent me from even speaking,” said the former president in a brief statement published in his name by his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), on the X.
On Wednesday, he returned to the hospital to undergo a digestive endoscopy. The examination revealed the presence of “intense esophagitis with an inflammatory process, erosions of the esophageal mucosa and moderate gastritis,” according to a medical report.
Bolsonaro's doctors have increased his medication and recommended that Bolsonaro remain on “home rest” during the month of July.
“During this period, he will be away from his usual activities, including public agendas and political-party activity, returning as soon as he is fully recovered,” they added.
After the stabbing, Bolsonaro has been hospitalized several times and has undergone several surgeries in the abdominal region, the last on April 13 for an intestinal obstruction.
After the complex 12-hour surgery that kept him in intensive care for several weeks, doctors recommended avoiding crowds.
However, since then he has led several public events, the most recent last Sunday in São Paulo, where he brought together thousands of people.
Bolsonaro felt unwell in mid-June while fulfilling political commitments in Goiás (center), which is why he had to interrupt the trip and return to Brasília, where he lives.
On Tuesday, he canceled an appointment with his Liberal Party in Brasília. In addition, he had events planned in the states of Santa Catarina (south) and Rondônia (west), which have now been canceled.
His doctors have indicated that he needs rest “to ensure full recovery” after surgery, a long hospitalization, an episode of pneumonia and recurring bouts of hiccups “that make it difficult for him to speak and eat.”
“Jair needs this time to fully recover. I have faith that God will help him, and soon he will be 100% ready to resume his work schedules,” his wife, Michelle, wrote on Instagram.
The former president (2019-2022) faces a trial before the Supreme Federal Court for allegedly leading a “criminal organization” that planned a coup d'état to keep him in power after his defeat in the elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
According to the accusation, the alleged plan did not materialize due to the lack of support from the high military leadership.
During his questioning before the court last month, Bolsonaro admitted to having considered “constitutional devices” after the failure of his electoral challenges, but denied any participation in a plan to prevent Lula from taking office.
“There was never any talk of a coup, a coup is an abominable thing,” he declared during the trial, which is due to conclude this year.
If found guilty, Bolsonaro could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison.
He claims to be the victim of “political persecution” to prevent him from running in the presidential elections in October next year, despite being ineligible until 2030 for spreading misinformation about the electoral system.
Although he has so far presented himself as the undisputed candidate of the right, on Sunday, during the event on Avenida Paulista, he left open the possibility that this may not be the case.
“Give me 50% of the Chamber and the Senate and I will change the destiny of Brazil. I don’t even need to be president,” he added.
Lula, 80, also faces health problems, such as when a fall caused an intracranial hemorrhage that forced him to undergo emergency surgery at the end of 2024.
However, he is determined to seek re-election.
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