Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Rushed to Hospital Due to Abdominal Discomfort

By Jess Smith First Posted: Mar 29, 2022 06:42 AM EDT

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro was taken to hospital for tests on Monday after feeling abdominal "discomfort."

Brazil's Communications Minister Fabio Faria told Reuters that after Bolsonaro felt unwell with abdominal discomfort, he was brought to the Army Hospital in Brasilia.

But Faria noted that Bolsonaro was "alright" and only went to the hospital to be tested as he has a history of intestinal obstructions. Reuters reported that Bolsonaro would stay in the hospital overnight under observation.

In January, Bolsonaro was hospitalized for two days in Sao Paulo for a partially blocked intestine that was cleared and did not need surgery.

The blockage was his latest complication from a stabbing in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign.

Since then, the president, who has been in power since 2019, has undergone six surgeries to treat the stabbing and correct a hernia in the wounded area. Last July, he was admitted to a hospital after 11 days of hiccuping with severe stomach pains.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro Announces Re-Election Bid

On Sunday, Jair Bolsonaro launched his re-election campaign, telling thousands of cheering supporters that he would win this year's election in October.

Because he was brought to a hospital, Bolsonaro was absent from an evening event organized by the Republican Party.

At the event, the party's president Marcos Pereira said he was "sure" that the president was fine and just doing some extra test, "that's why he's not here."

First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro, who attended the event, also said her husband was "fine."

Jair Bolsonaro to Face Leftist Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva in Brazil's Upcoming Election

Jair Bolsonaro will face an uphill battle to win re-election, now trailing former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in polls. The political rivals are expected to face off during October's presidential election, according to Al Jazeera.

Based on a recent poll, Lula may have won the presidential race if the Brazil election was held today.

The poll from FSB Pesquisa showed that Lula, who spent two terms as president from 2003 to 2010, would win the first-round vote by 43 percent to 23 percent.

Bolsonaro's rejection rate is the highest among all potential presidential candidates, with 59 percent of those surveyed saying they would never vote for him.

The poll showed Ciro Gomes, the center-left former governor of Ceara, with 9 percent support, and former justice minister and federal judge Sergio Moro with 8 percent.

A majority of the 2,000 voters were interviewed between March 18 and 20, with the poll containing a two-percentage-point margin of error.

At least 61 percent said they disapproved of Bolsonaro's way of governing the country, while 34 percent approved. Bolsonaro has remained defiant but dismissed the polls as not accurate.

"I don't believe in polls... Either the surveys are fraudulent or people are not well informed," the far-right president said.

Bolsonaro has played a "direct and relevant" role in spreading misinformation about the country's political process in recent months, according to experts.

In a political playbook similar to that of former President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro has claimed multiple times over the past year that Brazil's electronic voting system was rigged during the 2018 presidential election, which he won.

Bolsonaro has often expressed doubts about the integrity of this year's elections, implying that he might not accept the results if the electronic system is not changed to the one that includes printed receipts that can be recounted.

Brazilain judicial experts and critics rebuffed the president's claims and accused him of sowing doubt ahead of the elections in order to dispute the results.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Jair Bolsonaro Admits to the Hospital With Abdominal Pain - From CNN Brazil