Bolsonaro’s desperate attempt to evade arrest lands him in Biden’s lap

Weeks after fleeing Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro has now applied for a tourist visa in the United States. Fearing for his safety should he return to his homeland, he is frantically scurrying about in a bid to extend his stay, to atleast 6 months.

The former Brazilian President, who lost the 2022 general elections, fled the capital as his supporters rioted in the Presidential office, Congress and Supreme Court in Brazil. Accused of conspiring with the rioters, he is now being investigated by the authorities.

The “Trump of the Tropics” is currently on a diplomatic visit to the US and has been staying in Florida ever since. According to his spokesperson, the former president intends to “clear his head and enjoy being a tourist in the United States for a few months before deciding what his next step will be.”

Though, the reason is something else.

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Lula’s revenge

As soon as President Lula Da Silva took power in Brazil, he vowed to crack down on the Bolsonaro protestors. He fired the then army chief and attacked the authorities for their inability to contain the violence. And as the Supreme Court of Brazil gave a nod to investigate Bolsonaro, it became clear why he has been avoiding returning to his home country.

Back when Bolsonaro was the President, he had a big role to play in implicating Lula in a corruption case. As a result, Lula was jailed in 2017. Though, the convictions were annulled later, it drove a permanent wedge between both the politicians. Supporters of the leftist politician termed it a vendetta against their leader who was the target of the US regime.

Lula had scores to settle and Bolsonaro gave him the perfect opportunity. The riots have given Lula even more power to crack down on Bolsonaro sympathisers harshly.

Even though Bolsonaro has regretted the violence, he has strictly denied any part in it. But he still rejects the results of the elections. The former President did not attend the Presidential inauguration ceremony either.

Backed into a corner

The siege of January 8^th has isolated Bolsonaro at both domestic and international platform. Many Latin American nations have condemned the violence. With the defeat of Trump- his close ally in the States, Bolsonaro has found himself even more isolated.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his disapproval, “fascism [had] decided to stage a coup” while Colombia and Mexico have offered their full support to President Lula. Even USA has distanced itself from Bolsonaro post the violence. US President Joe Biden condemned “the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil”, while Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the “attack on democracy…cannot be tolerated”. Interestingly, Trump has made no comments on the events as of yet.

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Other nations like UK, Turkey and China have also condemned the violence. Contrary to Bolsonaro’s claims of the elections being rigged, the leaders of the world have accepted Lula Da Silva as the democratically elected President of Brazil.

It remains to be seen whether Bolsonaro’s request is accepted or not. If it isn’t, he will face the music back at home. And going by the current wave against him, it wouldn’t be pretty.