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Brazil's Lula vetoes bill to reduce Bolsonaro's jail term

Felix Tamsut with AP, AFP
January 9, 2026

The Brazilian president announced his decision on the anniversary of the 2023 riots by Jair Bolsonaro supporters. The former far-right leader is serving a prison sentence for attempting a coup.

https://p.dw.com/p/56Y2i
President Lula with Brazilian and South African flags behind him
President Lula vetoed the law three years after Jair Bolsonaro supporters rioted in Brasilia [FILE: Nov 23, 2025]Image: Ricardo Stuckert/PR

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have reduced former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's prison sentence.

Bolsonaro was convicted last year of plotting a coup.

Lula, the country's left-wing leader, announced his decision three years to the day after Bolsonaro supporters rioted in the capital Brasilia after his 2022 election loss, in scenes similar to the riots by supporters of US President Donald Trump who tried to storm the US Capitol building.

Bolsonaro's supporters went through government buildings and rioted demanding that Brazil's army to overthrow Lula, who had just taken office

The riot included plans to assassinate Lula as well as his vice president and Supreme Court justice, Alexandre de Moraes.

Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro cover their faces as security forces fire tear gas during clashes as they invade Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia
Bolsonaro supporters stormed Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia Image: Sergio Lima/AFP

Speaking about his decision to veto the bill, Lula said January 8 is a day marked by "our democracy's victory," adding it was also a "victory over those who tried to seize power by force, disregarding the will expressed at the ballot box."

What happens next with the bill?

While denying the charges, 70-year-old Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting a coup, with the former president receiving a prison sentence.

US President Donald Trump, known to be close to Bolsonaro, called the trial a left-wing "witch hunt."

Jair Bolsonaro at the entrance to his house
Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prisonImage: Luis Nova/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance

The country's Congress, dominated by conservatives, passed a bill which would have reduced Bolsonaro's time in jail from 27 years to two, with Lula expressing his will to veto the legislation from the beginning.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president's son, labeled Lula's veto a "blatant, selective, and unjust political persecution."

Flavio Bolsonero was endorsed by his father to be the conservative candidate in Brazil's next presidential elections in October 2026.

Congress still has the last word on whether the bill becomes a law. It has the power to override Lula's veto, but analysts say this would be a risky move ahead of general elections in October.

Brazil's ex-President Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years prison

Edited by: Zac Crellin