In front of an audience of Brazilian expatriates gathered in Orlando, the 67 -year -old still challenged his defeat in the presidential election and announced that he did not leave politics.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
From the United States where he has been residing for over a month, the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said his intention to remain involved in his country’s policy on Tuesday during a reception in Florida.
“I am 67 years old and I intend to remain active in Brazilian politics,” he promised before some 400 supporters gathered in Orlando by Yes Brazil USA, a conservative organization of Brazilian expatriates in the United States . Beaten in the last presidential election by Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, Mr. Bolsonaro, who left Brazil on December 30, two days before the investiture of his opponent, continues to question the result of the ballot.
“Many people are still shaken by what happened during the elections (…) but we will face this moment and, if God wants it, we will defeat together,” he said, considering himself “More popular than ever”.
“I regret what some people did on January 8”
Nine days after his departure, thousands of his sympathizers swept over the capital Brasilia, ransacking places of power like the palace of the presidency, the Congress and the Supreme Court. “I regret what some inconsistent people did on January 8,” said Jair Bolsonaro.
This ex-president’s release comes two weeks after it was included in an investigation by the Supreme Court of Brazil, to determine his role in the assaults of Brasilia. A magistrate notably cited as proof a video published on social networks in which Mr. Bolsonaro questions the outcome of the election.
Jair Bolsonaro is rather a low profile since his departure for Orlando, where he lives in a house of the Brazilian martial arts fighter, José Aldo. On Monday, he asked for an additional six-month visa to stay in the United States, according to his lawyer.