SAO PAULO, April 30 – Brazilian lawmakers delivered a crushing blow to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday when they successfully voted to override his veto of legislation that dramatically slashes former President Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence for attempting a coup following his 2022 election loss.
The congressional action reduces Bolsonaro’s 27-year sentence to slightly more than two years, representing another significant political setback for the leftist president’s legislative agenda. This marks Lula’s second major congressional defeat this week, following Wednesday’s Senate rejection of his Supreme Court nominee Jorge Messias – the first time in over a century that lawmakers have blocked a president’s high court selection.
The legislation, which lawmakers initially passed in December, also reduces penalties for individuals convicted in connection with the January 2023 attack when Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed and vandalized Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court building, and congressional chambers.
Lula had rejected the measure in January, maintaining that substantial evidence supported the convictions of Bolsonaro and others involved in the coup attempt.
The 71-year-old Bolsonaro started serving his sentence in November and was initially held in prison before being transferred to what officials call “humanitarian house arrest” due to medical issues.
The former president has undergone multiple surgical procedures following a 2018 stabbing incident during a campaign rally and was hospitalized for several weeks in March while battling severe pneumonia.
