Brazil's Congress Votes to Cut Bolsonaro Sentence

Brazil's Congress voted Thursday to override a presidential veto and adopt a bill to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup, in a blow to his political rival and current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The legislation, which will be challenged in court, indicates a weakening of Lula's position in Congress ahead of his bid for reelection in the country's October presidential election, the AP reports.

• It's unclear how much time Bolsonaro will serve for his conviction for leading a coup attempt, but analysts say the move could shave 20 years off his sentence. The right-wing former president, who began his sentence in November, is currently under house arrest.

• The conservative opposition successfully drew centrist senators and federal deputies to comfortably override the leftist president's veto of last year's sentencing bill. Bolsonaro supporters expressed confidence in the outcome even before the voting began. "This is a first and much-awaited step by those who are afflicted. The next stage is full amnesty," said Sen. Espiridião Amin, a Bolsonaro ally.
• The bill that lawmakers passed last year reduces prison terms for several crimes, including those against the democratic rule of law and leading a coup, when a person is convicted of both. The new legislation states that the sentence should be based only on the count carrying the highest sentence.
• Bolsonaro allies in Congress said the move benefits not only the former president, but also supporters who were sentenced for destroying government buildings in capital Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023, in a riot that mirrored the assault on the US Capitol two years earlier.

• The vote hands Lula another significant defeat in Congress months before his bid for a fourth nonconsecutive term. On Wednesday, he had his nominee to a seat on the Supreme Court rejected by the country's Senate, a first in 132 years.
• "They want to release Bolsonaro, his jailed generals, and stop federal police investigations that implicate them," said lawmaker Lindberg Farias, a Lula ally. "This is a day of infamy."
• Several lawmakers voting on Thursday spoke on the podium about October's election. Four years ago, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by a narrow margin to return to the presidency. The president's rival in his bid for reelection will be Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of the former president.