Former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has returned from his self-imposed exile in the United States.
The far-right former leader landed in the capital, Brasilia, on a commercial flight from Florida, where he spent the past three months.
While the Former President told reporters when he boarded the plane for Brazil that he was not planning on leading the opposition to current President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, many in Brazil are curious to see how much of a following he still has in his home country.
It can be recalled that Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. As such, he faces an investigation into whether he incited the rioters, even though he was not in the country then.
Following the rioting caused by his supporters on January 8, 2023, police took precautions for his return, such as cordoning off the main esplanade in the capital. Bolsonaro is also expected to be taken out of the airport by a back exit to prevent crowds gathering at the arrival hall.
Jair Bolsonaro left Brazil on board a Brazilian air force plane on December 30, 2023, just two days before he was due to hand over the Presidential sash to his rival, left-winger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Lula narrowly beat Bolsonaro in a presidential run-off on October 30, 2023, a defeat the far-right leader never publicly recognized.
Many of Bolsonaro’s supporters also refused to acknowledge Lula’s victory, camping out in front of army barracks in the hope of swaying the military to depose the newly elected President.
With Brazil’s institutions, including the military, backing the democratic handover of power to Lula, Bolsonaro disappeared almost completely from the public scene, rarely leaving the presidential palace and keeping uncharacteristically quiet on social media platforms.
His supporters, though, were anything but quiet, rampaging through key government buildings in Brasilia just a week after Lula took power. More than 1,500 people were arrested.
While Bolsonaro was in Florida when Brazil’s Congress was stormed, investigators argue his rhetoric, repeatedly questioning the validity of the election result and saying that only God or death could remove him from office, incited the rioters.
The investigation into alleged incitement is not the only legal challenge he faces. There is also a probe under way into whether he tried to illegally import and keep millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry he and his wife were given by Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Bolsonaro has been summoned to testify in that case in less than a week’s time.
Bolsonaro Expected To Meet Party Leaders
After landing in Brasilia, Bolsonaro is expected to make his way to the headquarters of his Liberal Party, where he will meet his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro and party leaders.
The Liberal Party leader has said that he is keen for Bolsonaro to campaign on behalf of the party ahead of local elections next year.
“Bolsonaro will lead the opposition and travel around Brazil preaching the party’s liberal values and helping the PL grow,” he said.
However, analysts point out that during his three-month absence, other conservative politicians have come to the forefront.
The size of the crowd that turns out to greet Bolsonaro will therefore not only be closely watched by his left-wing rivals, but also by his former allies.
