Brazil's Bolsonaro leaves hospital after routine health checks

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has left the Sao Paulo hospital where he underwent a series of routine medical exams, his aide said Thursday.

Bolsonaro was admitted to Vila Nova Star Hospital in Sao Paulo on Wednesday “to assess his clinical condition,” especially in the digestive system, his close aide Fabio Wajngarten said on his official account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Bolsonaro is now heading back to the capital, Brasilia, Wajngarten said.

Bolsonaro has undergone several surgeries since he was stabbed in his abdomen on the campaign trail ahead of the 2018 presidential election. The former right wing leader left office at the end of 2022, after losing a reelection bid against leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro is under mounting pressure, targeted by several investigations for activities while he was president, and in relation to a rampage by his supporters in the national capital after he left office.