Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro may require another surgery after suffering severe abdominal pain during a public event in northeastern Brazil. This would be his fifth operation since being stabbed in 2018. He shared the update on X (formerly Twitter) on 12 April.
Bolsonaro, 70, was taken to hospital on Friday in Rio Grande do Norte. The incident forced him to cut short a tour aimed at rallying political support. He said he might be transferred to a hospital in either Brasilia, where he lives, or São Paulo.
His doctor, Antonio Macedo, confirmed that medical tests pointed to the need for surgery. Bolsonaro’s family will decide where he should receive treatment. A report issued on Saturday morning said his condition was stable and that he had rested well overnight.
He felt the abdominal pain while visiting Santa Cruz, a city in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte. A helicopter flew him to a hospital in Natal for immediate care.
Legal pressure mounts as Bolsonaro keeps campaigning
Bolsonaro, who served as president from 2019 to 2022, continues to campaign across Brazil. He is calling for an amnesty law for his supporters involved in the January 2023 attack on BrasÃlia. The Brazilian Supreme Court has announced that he will go on trial for allegedly trying to overturn the 2022 election result.
He denies any wrongdoing and claims the trial is politically motivated. Bolsonaro argues that cases like his, and that of France’s Marine Le Pen, show how left-wing governments target conservatives through legal action.
The court has already barred him from running for public office until 2030. If found guilty, he could face a long prison term. Despite these legal hurdles, Bolsonaro insists he will run for president in 2026. He positions himself as the main challenger to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose approval ratings have fallen amid high inflation.
Bolsonaro’s health has remained a concern since the 2018 stabbing, which nearly cost him his life. He has undergone multiple surgeries in the years since.
