San Francisco Frontiers - Brazil Senate debates bill that could slash Bolsonaro jail term

The bill was passed by the conservative-controlled lower house of Congress last week, and the Senate could vote on it as soon as Wednesday, or it could be pushed into the new year.

Bolsonaro, 70, began serving a 27-year prison sentence in November after his conviction for a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election.

After months of jockeying by his supporters in Congress for some sort of amnesty for the far-right leader, the lower house approved a bill that would significantly reduce sentences for several crimes, including coup d'etat.

This opens up the prospect that Bolsonaro could serve only two years in jail.

Under current rules, he is expected to serve about eight years of his sentence before being eligible for a looser regime under judicial supervision, according to an estimation by the Brasilia Sentencing Enforcement Court.

The bill's passage in the lower house provoked protests in cities across Brazil on Sunday, where demonstrators chanted "no amnesty" and held up banners reading: "Congress, enemy of the people."

Political forces are more evenly balanced in the Senate.

Senators on the justice committee rejected several requests to postpone discussing the bill.

Bolsonaro's oldest son, the senator Flavio Bolsonaro -- who the former president anointed as the candidate of the right in 2026 elections -- called for the plenary to "address this issue once and for all."

With the end-of-year recess looming, if the Senate does not approve the bill before Friday, the debate will be postponed until 2026.

- Fears over who will benefit -

The bill could also benefit more than 100 Bolsonaro supporters who were imprisoned for their role in January 2023 riots against the seats of government in Brasilia, shortly after Lula took office.

Critics warn it could impact sentencing for other crimes.

Senator Alessandro Vieira called for the rejection of the bill, saying it creates "a real regulatory vacuum that favors criminality."

Flavio Bolsonaro said the text needed to be improved "to prevent this benefit from being granted to real criminals."

The author of the legislation, deputy Paulinho da Forca, said it was a "gesture of reconciliation" in a polarized country.

Bolsonaro is serving his sentence in a special room at a police facility in the capital Brasilia, after a dramatic start to his jail term when he took a soldering iron to his ankle monitoring bracelet while under house arrest.

If the bill is passed by the Senate, it will head to the desk of Lula, who has vowed to veto it, saying Bolsonaro "must pay" for his crimes.

However, Congress has the last word and can overturn the president's veto.

Bolsonaro was convicted for a scheme to stop Lula from taking office after his razor-thin loss in a bitter 2022 election that highlighted stark political divisions in Brazil.

The plot allegedly involved a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes.

Prosecutors said the scheme failed because of a lack of support from military top brass.

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