Brazil ex-leader Bolsonaro denies coup allegations

Since stepping down from office just over a year ago, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said that he has been targeted by political persecution.

Addressing tens of thousands of supporters in São Paulo, Bolsonaro said accusations of a coup against him as false, urging for an amnesty for hundreds of his backers who were convicted of attacks on public buildings.

Authorities are examining whether Bolsonaro played a role in an attempted coup following his defeat in the 2022 election.

Speaking at Sunday’s gathering in Brazil’s largest city, the 68-year-old ex-president rebuffed the charges against him, alleging they were driven by political motives. He advocated for leaving the past behind and focusing on the future of Brazil.

Bolsonaro also used the occasion to discuss the forthcoming presidential elections in 2026. Despite being ineligible to run for office for eight years due to his actions undermining Brazil’s electoral system and alleging fraud in the last election, which lacked supporting evidence, he remains engaged in political discourse.