Jair Bolsonaro returns to the country to lead the opposition to Lula

He left almost on the sly. Two days before Lula’s investiture ceremony, on January 1, the captain had left the ship without clearly acknowledging defeat. From Orlando, Florida, where he had taken up residence in a friend’s house, Jair Bolsonaro followed – and softly condemned – the riots of January 8 on the Esplanade of the Three Powers, during which thousands of his supporters ransacked Congress, the Supreme Court and part of the presidential palace. At the discretion of a few public appearances, the ex-president of the extreme right had continued to spread the idea that the ballot of October 30 was tainted with irregularities. He also tried to defend himself against accusations of mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic, of which he is the subject. More recently, he said he was especially sad to be far from his country and his family. A longing (“nostalgia”) which will therefore end this Thursday morning, at 7:15 a.m., when the plane of the regular company will land at Brasilia airport.