The Brazilian Congress has voted to override a veto on a law that could have significantly reduced the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro for orchestrating a coup d'état after losing the election.
According to the BBC, Bolsonaro was sentenced last year to 27 years in prison for attempting to cling to power after his 2022 defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Lula tried to block a move by the conservative-majority Congress to reduce Bolsonaro’s prison sentence to just over two years. But during a tense session on Thursday, lawmakers overrode the veto, changing the way prison sentences are calculated.
This law can still be challenged in the Supreme Court.
It is noted that in March, Bolsonaro, who is 71, was allowed to be temporarily placed under house arrest due to deteriorating health.
After Lula’s veto was overridden, several lawmakers chanted slogans calling for freedom and the name of Flávio Bolsonaro—the former president’s eldest son, who is running for the same office his father once held.
More than two-thirds of Congress voted in favor of a bill that would reduce sentences for individuals convicted of acts related to the coup d’état.
This was the second blow this week for the left-wing government and Lula, who is campaigning for re-election to a fourth presidential term.
