On the eve of the trial that may result in the conviction of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the former mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), visited the former president, who fulfills house arrest in Brasilia. The meeting, held in a reserved way at Bolsonaro’s residence in the Botanical Garden, had as its main agenda the articulation by the amnesty of the condemned by the acts of January 8.
Wanted, Lira did not comment on the meeting. The deputy’s advisory, in turn, reported that the visit was solely objective to provide solidarity.
According to allied reports, the meeting began around 4 pm and lasted just over an hour. During the conversation, they discussed the progress of negotiations in Congress. Bolsonaro reinforced Lira the importance of approving a broad amnesty project, which includes not only the arrested protesters, but also political and military figures involved in the previous episodes.
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The same interlocutors stated that Lira presented to Bolsonaro a diagnosis of climate in the House: the proposal advances between PL deputies and Centrão subtitles, but faces resistance in sectors of the ruling base and even more moderate opposition parties. The deputy evaluated with the former president which strategies adopt to reduce these resistance, including the possibility of a restricted amnesty.
For allies, the meeting was symbolic: in addition to reaffirming the political bond between the two, Lira signaled that he does not intend to leave Bolsonaro isolated at the most delicate moment of his trajectory.
The visit also reinforced Bolsonaro’s attempt to maintain political protagonism even under house arrest. Behind the scenes, he has delegated to Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans-SP) the task of assuming a more active role in public negotiations, while using reserved meetings, such as Lira, to align the strategy.
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The agenda of the amnesty should return to the center of the legislative debate this week, since the opposition elected the theme as a priority. Leaders gather tomorrow around 11am to discuss strategies.
