Brasília, Nov 25 — Brazil’s Liberal Party (PL) states that its sole purpose today is to defend the congressional vote on the bill granting amnesty to those involved in the coup attempts of January 2023.
“We left with a unanimous voice that the only goal is the approval of the amnesty bill in the Chamber of Deputies and, if successful, later in the Federal Senate,” declared Congressman Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, following a meeting of the party's parliamentary group.
The meeting was convened at the request of the party leader, Valdemar Costa, to analyze reactions within the ranks after the preventive detention imposed last Saturday on Jair Bolsonaro, honorary president of the PL.
At least 54 parliamentarians attended the meeting, held at the party headquarters in Brasília.
Flávio Bolsonaro also stated that they will not attempt to obstruct the parliamentary agenda, a different strategy from that adopted by lawmakers in August, when the act involved occupying the tables of the lower house and the Senate.
When asked about the amnesty, Flávio Bolsonaro responded that the party only accepts the broad and unrestricted version, meaning that parliamentarians will not vote for a text linked solely to sentence reduction guidelines. “We would never make that kind of deal,” he emphasized.
Senator Rogério Marinho, PL leader in the Senate, also mentioned conversations among party representatives to try to obtain support for the pardon.
The previous day, the first chamber of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) unanimously confirmed the preventive detention of Bolsonaro, ordered last Saturday by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, the rapporteur of the case before the court.
De Moraes ordered the provisional arrest following a request from the Federal Police (PF), citing a flight risk due to an attempted tampering with the electronic ankle bracelet.
Since then, Bolsonaro, who was under house arrest, has been held in a room at the PF Superintendency in this capital.
The instructor of the case cited damage to the security apparatus and the vigil called on Saturday night by Flávio Bolsonaro in front of his father's condominium, who was sentenced last September to 27 years and three months in prison for coup attempt.
For De Moraes, the flight risk prevailed, and the call for the vigil “indicates a possible attempt to use Bolsonaro's supporters” to “obstruct the monitoring of the precautionary measures and house arrest” that the far-right former president was subject to.
