By Rodolfo Costa
Former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL, right) is expected to remain in the United States until at least February.
Some close allies and interlocutors of his family believe, even, that it is likely that he will remain in Orlando, Florida, during the Carnival period, which ends on Feb. 21.
There is even a forecast that Bolsonaro will meet next month with singer Netinho in the North American country, as found by Gazeta do Povo.
The musician is a supporter of the former president and ran for federal deputy for the PL in the last election under the name “Netinho da Bahia”.
He obtained about 31,400 valid votes but was not elected.
Bolsonaro’s stay in the United States may depend, however, on adjustments to the status of his visa.
He entered the country when he was still president of the Republic, that is, on a diplomatic visa.
He needs a tourist visa status to remain in Orlando, allowing him to stay there for up to six months.
The former president’s diplomatic visa expires on Monday (Jan. 30), but allies say he has begun adjusting his visa status.
If the request is denied and he does not return to Brazil, a possible scenario would be deportation.
Some members of the Democratic Party have been pressuring the US President, Joe Biden, for this to happen for weeks.
However, those around Bolsonaro are confident that the request to change his visa will be granted and will be enough to ensure his conditions of stay.
However, even if he gets authorization from the U.S. state, it is uncertain how long Bolsonaro would probably stay in the United States.
WHAT STILL WEIGHS ON BOLSONARO’S DECISION TO RETURN TO BRAZIL
The former president still has a dilemma about whether or not to return to Brazil.
A part of his political and family circle thinks itessentialtant for him to return to the country, and another group thinks staying in the United States is more prudent.
Councilman Carlos Bolsonaro (Republicans-RJ) is one of the family members who defend the permanence of the former president in Orlando.
The understanding is that the return is not prudent due to the country’s current political moment.
The perception among allies and family members who support the permanence of Bolsonaro on American soil is that a return now would make him an easy target for the left and even for center leaders who support the investigation and possible imprisonment of the former president.
Requests for investigation were made to the Federal Public Ministry (PF) by members of the PT for allegedly committing the crime of genocide against Yanomami Indians and also for alleged responsibility in the acts of vandalism on Jan. 8.
Senator Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) defended the arrest of the former president.
For these reasons, close family contacts say that any return of Bolsonaro would be after the beginning of the legislative year and probably until after Carnival.
As the new legislature has more conserve members of Congressmen, some aligned with the former president, the idea is to return to Brazil with some political support.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PLact, returned to Brazil to support the candidacy of Senator-elect Rogério Marinho (PL-RN) for the presidency of the Senate but also to pave the political and also legal “ground” favorable to his father’s return.
The former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro also returned to Brazil on Thursday night (Jan. 26) after spending almost a month in Orlando.
According to the Metrópoles website, however, the reason is associated with the return to school of her daughter, Laura Bolsonaro.
WHO IS PUSHING FOR BOLSONARO’S RETURN TO THE COUNTRY
With the extension of Bolsonaro’s stay, he did not comply with a signal made to some political allies, such as the national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, that he would return to the country at the end of the expiration period of the diplomatic visa.
The prediction was that he could return by the end of January.
“He told me he will return at the end of the month,” said Valdemar on Friday (Jan. 27) in an interview with CNN Brazil.
The president of the PL is one of the foremost leading enthusiasts for Bolsonaro’s return to Brazil.
Allies of the party’s political wing and other conservative leaders defend his return and participation in reorganizing the right.
Valdemar hopes Bolsonaro will return and help him dialogue with conservative voters.
“We have some right-wing people, I would say extreme right-wing, and these persons I’m going to have a little difficulty with, I have no doubt.”
“And he can help me a lot in this because they all respect Bolsonaro a lot, they consider Bolsonaro, and Bolsonaro can do a great job here in the party, slowly”, he commented.
The legend’s president expressed an interest in the former president participating in lectures and being a basic electoral cable of the PL to make mayors and councilors in the municipal elections next year.
“Today, we have 350 mayors in Brazil. We intend to reach a thousand mayors. But Bolsonaro has prestige in these places, in these cities so he can give a huge boost to our candidates,” commented the president of the PL.
Besides political motivations, some allies advise the former president to return for health reasons.
Doctor Antônio Luiz Macedo, who has been treating Bolsonaro since 2018, when the former president was stabbed during an election campaign act in Juiz de Fora (MG), said he must undergo new surgery on his intestine as soon as he returns to Brazil.
The concern about his medical condition has raised the requests for his return.
With information from Gazeta do Povo