Jair Bolsonaro expected to return to Brazil on March 30

Bolsonaro will return later this month, his Liberal Party confirms, following more than three months of self-imposed exile in US after losing his re-election bid to President Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro has spent three months in the American state of Florida after his narrow defeat to Lula in a second-round run-off for Brazil's presidency in October.
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Bolsonaro has spent three months in the American state of Florida after his narrow defeat to Lula in a second-round run-off for Brazil's presidency in October.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who left the country days before the inauguration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is expected to return on March 30, his Liberal Party has said.

"We are waiting for you, Captain, to fight together for a more just and freer Brazil," the party wrote on Instagram on Friday, citing its head, Valdemar Costa Neto, accompanied by an image of him and Bolsonaro embracing.

Bolsonaro's return to Brazil is eagerly awaited by his conservative Liberal Party [PL], which became the largest in the Brazilian Congress after the election last October.

Bolsonaro has spent three months in the American state of Florida after his narrow defeat to Lula in a second-round run-off for Brazil's presidency in October.

His lawyer, Felipe Alexandre, described Florida as "his temporary home away from home," as Bolsonaro reportedly applied for a six-month visa in January — a move which received pushback from Democratic lawmakers in the US.

Costa Neto has said he expects Bolsonaro to become the leader of the right-wing opposition to leftist President Lula and lead his party into municipal elections next year, where the PL hopes to triple the number of its mayors across Brazil .

"I will resume a normal life, I will work for the PL, travel around Brazil and take part in politics," Bolsonaro said in an interview with TV Record broadcast on Thursday.

Bolsonaro expected to testify

Bolsonaro's push for the visa followed the invasion and ransacking of Brazil's three powers of government on January 8.

His supporters managed to invade and ransack the Planalto Palace, or President's Office, Congress and the Supreme Federal Court — until security forces contained them.

It resulted in detractors accusing Bolsonaro of undermining Brazil's democracy and encouraging the events.

Lula alleged that Bolsonaro rallied his base on social media and through public speeches — a charge Bolsonaro denied.

The far-right politician was in Orlando, Florida, the following day after experiencing abdominal pain.

Authorities are still investigating Bolsonaro concerning the January 8 events.

The former president is expected to give testimony as part of an investigation into allegations that he attempted to illegally bring $3.2 million worth of luxury jewellery into the country, according to Justice Minister Flavio Dino.

Earlier this month, Lula's administration urged authorities to investigate allegations whether Bolsonaro and his entourage may have tried to avoid declaring the expensive jewellery from the Saudi Arabian government to Bolsonaro and his wife in 2021.

The items were seized by customs officials in October of that year after being discovered in a backpack of a government aide.

Dino did not provide a deadline for Bolsonaro to testify, however, Bolsonaro has denied the allegations, having handed them over to a state bank after a request by authorities.

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