São Paulo, Brazil – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from a private hospital in the capital on Sunday after spending 21 days recovering from a major intestinal surgery.
The procedure, performed on April 13 at DF Star Hospital, lasted more than 12 hours and was aimed at resolving an intestinal blockage.
It marked the seventh surgical intervention Bolsonaro has undergone since being stabbed during a campaign rally in 2018.
Bolsonaro, 70, left the hospital on foot, walking slowly. He waved to supporters gathered outside the clinic and briefly addressed members of the press.
“Thank you to everyone who followed, who prayed, who asked God,” he said.
Doctors have instructed the former president to follow a soft-food diet in the coming days, to avoid crowds, and to limit physical activity.
He returned to his residence in a gated community in Brasília, where he is expected to receive few visitors while continuing his recovery, in accordance with medical advice.
Bolsonaro is expected to stand trial as early as this year for allegedly attempting to stage a coup after losing the October 2022 presidential elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Read more: Brazil’s Supreme Court declares Bolsonaro a defendant in coup plot case
Featured image: Jair Bolsonaro leaves hospital in Brasilia (photo credit: Jair Bolsonaro via Instagram)
