According to his wife, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison term for attempting a coup, had “successful” surgery on Thursday to repair an inguinal hernia.
For the first time since late November, the 70-year-old former president left prison on Wednesday to have the surgery at the DF Star hospital in Brasilia, according to AFP.
“The surgery was done successfully and without any issues. In an Instagram post, his wife Michelle said, “Now we wait for him to wake up from anesthesia.”
Since being stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign, Bolsonaro has struggled with his health and had numerous surgeries to treat his injuries. He recently received a skin cancer diagnosis as well.
The former far-right leader, who served from 2019 to 2022, was expected to remain in the hospital for a another five to seven days, according to his doctors.
An inguinal hernia, a protrusion in the groin area caused by a rip in the abdominal muscles, was repaired during the procedure.
Dr. Claudio Birolini stated on Wednesday that the surgery was complicated.
“However, we anticipate that the procedure will be performed without significant complications because it is a standardized… scheduled surgery.”
Following the procedure, doctors will determine whether Bolsonaro can have the phrenic nerve, which governs the diaphragm, blocked in order to treat recurring hiccups, according to Birolini.
In September, Bolsonaro was condemned to prison by Brazil’s Supreme Court after it was determined that he had orchestrated a plot to keep President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from assuming office.
Bolsonaro has insisted he was the victim of political persecution and maintained his innocence.
He has been detained in a little room at a Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia that contains a minibar, air conditioning, and a television.
He had previously been placed under preventive home arrest from August to November, but he attempted to break his electronic ankle bracelet, which led to his early release from prison.
According to a court order, the former president’s room door would be guarded by at least two police officers while he was in the hospital.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court, who oversaw the case in which the former president was found guilty, approved Bolsonaro’s release from prison for the medical treatment.
While the former president is in the hospital, his wife is with him.
Succession
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, his eldest son, recently declared his intention to run for president in 2026, claiming that his father selected him to be his heir.
Flavio read a handwritten letter signed by the former president before to the surgery.
Citing his father’s letter, the senator announced during a news conference outside the hospital, “Given this situation of injustice and with a determination to not allow the will of the people to be silenced, I have decided to nominate Flavio Bolsonaro as a pre-candidate for the presidency of the republic.”
The typically vocal Jair Bolsonaro, who is not allowed to express himself online or in the media without previous judicial authorization, made his first public statement in recent months.
Flavio Bolsonaro claims that the letter was written to allay any “doubt” over his father’s backing of his presidential campaign.
“A lot of individuals claim they haven’t seen a letter signed by him or heard it directly from him. The senator read the text and stated, “I think this clears up any shadow of doubt.”
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