BRASÍLIA - Brazil's Senate voted to approve legislation reducing the November prison sentence of ex-President and conservative populist Jair Bolsonaro, paving the way for another showdown with President Lula da Silva, who has vowed to kill the bill on arrival.
Approved by the Senate on Wednesday, and having been approved by the nation's lower chamber last week, the new legislation, which seeks to dramatically reduce the prison terms of Bolsonaro's sentence, will now head to the Palácio da Alvorada, where President Lula is expected to veto the legislation.
Although Lula holds veto power and has remained a devoted foe of political nemesis and political firebrand, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula's veto order could ultimately be overridden by the Congress in Brasília, further dividing an already tense political situation in South America's largest nation.
Lula loyalists have accused the Left-wing party in parliament of allowing the move to go forward in exchange for a "backroom deal" to push through a budget initiative backed by the administration.
Bolsonaro, 70, was convicted on charges of attempting a coup in the aftermath of his 2023 presidential election defeat and was sentenced last month to serve 27 years under house arrest.
Bolsonaro was then transferred to a police holding facility after admitting to authorities that he tried to remove a court-ordered ankle monitor.
Under the previous rules, Bolsonaro was expected to serve at least eight years behind bars before becoming eligible for more flexible conditions. However, with the passing of the new legislation, the former president will now serve as little as two years imprisonment.
The bill was approved on a 48-25 margin, as Bolsonaro's son, Flavio, and potential front-runner as leader of his father's conservative populist movement for next year's presidential election, called on members of the upper chamber to "address this issue once and for all."
Critics of Bolsonaro, including top Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Lula allies, hope that members of both houses of Congress will recognize that Bolsonaro "must pay" for his transgressions.
