President Jair Bolsonaro is still admitted to a hospital in São Paulo, without discharge, for the treatment of intestinal obstruction. An image of a shirtless president with a battered face on his bed, which Bolsonaro himself posted on his social media, is trying to mobilize his base amid falling popularity in polls.

President Jair Bolsonaro is still admitted to a hospital in São Paulo, without discharge, for the treatment of intestinal obstruction. An image of a shirtless president with a tortured face on his bed, which Bolsonaro himself posted on his social media, is trying to mobilize his base amid falling popularity in polls.

The analysis was prepared by political scientist Vera Chaia, professor at PUC São Paulo and coordinator of the Center for Art, Media and Policy Studies. “This photo, printed in newspapers and on Instagram, is a call. I think that not a single president, not a single authority showed himself so strongly and did not show not only fragility, but also tried to answer the prayers of his followers in order to increase sympathy for him, since the president faces a number of problems, ”the researcher comments.

Chaya recalls that the latest DataFolha poll showed that 57% of the Brazilian population consider their government to be bad, and 54% are already in favor of impeachment. The professor also notes that the advancement of the Covid Index in the Senate exposes suspicions of government corruption in procurement of vaccines and reinforces opposition to the leader.

political use of blow

The caption to the image posted on Bolsonaro’s official profile refers to the stab wound he received during the 2018 campaign, and the text even accuses PT of the assault. “The political use of the knife was very well thought out by him and his children, so he became a martyr, also using his name Jair Messias Bolsonaro,” stresses Professor PUC-SP.

In the same way that aggression helped Bolsonar’s 2018 election, it is now expected to the aftermath of the attack the president still faces todaymay also reverse their loss of popularity and disadvantage in the 2022 election. Polls suggest former PT President Lula may even win in the first round.

“The picture of intestinal obstruction is likely to resolve, but it evokes the image of a martyr to be appreciated, to be prayed for. All religious sermons around Bolsonaro he may have echoes of the movement of his supporters in support of major religious manifestations, ”the political scientist notes.

This is not the first time a country has found itself in a similar situation. Chosen by an indirect vote in 1985, Tancredo Neves did not take office – he also had a gut problem, diverticulitis, which mobilized prayers across the country, Chaya recalls.

vacuum in force

Vice President Hamilton Mouran is in Angola on an official trip and is not due to return until Sunday (18). Next in line is House President Arthur Lear, who can take over on a temporary basis, but is a defendant in two cases, so there is no certainty about who will run for president in the next three days.

“On one of the seven or eight occasions he was hospitalized, Bolsonar did not like Hamilton Mourao as president. They opened an office at Albert Einstein Hospital, where he was managing, to keep his lieutenant governor out of his lack of confidence, ”Chaya emphasizes.

To listen to the full interview, click on the podcast above the photo.