Brazil polls plunged into chaos by attack on Bolsonaro
The run-up to a presidential election in Brazil plunged into chaos on Friday (Sept 7) after a knife attack on far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro put the frontrunner in intensive care just a month before the vote.
Congressman Bolsonaro, who has enraged many Brazilians for years with controversial comments but has a devout following among conservative voters, could take two months to fully recover and will spend at least a week in hospital, said Dr Luiz Henrique Borsato, who operated on the candidate.
"His internal wounds were grave and put the patient's life at risk," Dr Borsato said. The challenge now is preventing infection that could result from the perforation of Mr Bolsonaro's intestines, he said.
The attack on Mr Bolsonaro, 63, is a twist in what was already Brazil's most unpredictable election since the country's return to democracy three decades ago. Corruption investigations have jailed scores of businessmen and politicians in recent years, and alienated voters.
There was fear of violence flaring across Brazil on Friday, as the nation celebrates Independence Day with political groups likely to march in hundreds of cities. Mr Bolsonaro's rival candidates called off campaign activities for Friday.
Under Brazil's campaign laws, Mr Bolsonaro's tiny coalition has almost no campaign time on government-regulated candidate ad blocs on TV and radio. That means Mr Bolsonaro relies on social media and rallies around the country to drum up support. As such, not being able to go out in the streets could impact his campaign.
But Mr Flavio Bolsonaro, the candidate's son, said early on Friday outside the hospital where his father was treated that he was conscious and the attack was a political boost.
"I just want to send a message to the thugs who tried to ruin the life of a family man, a guy who is the hope for millions of Brazilians: You just elected him president. He will win in the first round," said Mr Flavio Bolsonaro.
The retired Army captain is running as the law-and-order candidate and has positioned himself as the anti-politician, though he has spent nearly three decades in Congress.He has long espoused taking a radical stance on public security in Brazil, which United Nations statistics showed has more homicides than any other country.
