Brazilian president Lula says rioters will fail in coup attempt

Bloomberg

A day after Brazil’s capital was stormed by his predecessor’s supporters, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva worked from his office, where he met with the country’s governors as well as the heads of congress and the Supreme Court.
“We are not going to allow democracy to slip out of our hands,” Lula said at the meeting. “They want a coup, and there won’t be a coup.” All 27 governors accepted Lula’s invitation — even allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro such as the governor of São Paulo state, Tarcísio de Freitas — to meet in the Palácio do Planalto, damaged by rioters the day before.
“Brazilian democracy will become even stronger,” the governor said following the meeting.
The president, governors, heads of congress and court justices then all walked together to the top court building, which had also been vandalized, as demonstrations in defense of democracy took place in several cities nationwide, including São Paulo.
In Congress, also attacked Sunday, a decree to intervene in the Federal District government through the end of January was approved by the lower house in a symbolic vote. The senate was expected to take up the bill on Tuesday.

Bolsonaro hospitalized
in US after Brasilia riots
Brazil’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro has been admitted to a US hospital with abdominal pain a day after his supporters stormed Brasilia demanding military intervention against his loss in the October election, according to his wife.
The conservative leader, who traveled to the US on Dec. 30 to skip the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is being treated at the AdventHealth Celebration, a hospital near Orlando, O Globo newspaper reported earlier, without revealing how it obtained the information.
Bolsonaro’s wife confirmed he’s hospitalized though she didn’t say where.
A former aide to Bolsonaro, who requested anonymity to discuss his heath, said he was being treated for possible intestinal obstruction. The ex-president has undergone several surgeries after being stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning in 2018.
The former president on Monday evening posted a photograph of himself on his Twitter page showing him in a hospital bed, adding that he’s in Orlando. “Thanks for the prayers and messages of speedy recovery,” he said.
Emails and calls to the US hospital went unanswered.
While Lula has alleged that Bolsonaro had been encouraging the riots in Brasilia, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday the Biden administration hasn’t received any requests from Brazil to extradite the former president.
Bolsonaro published on social media on Sunday, speaking out against the depredation of public buildings carried out by his supporters in Brasilia, and again on Monday, touting his government’s achievements.

Brazil senator asks court
to order Bolsonaro’s
return from US
A Brazilian senator asked top court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to order former President Jair Bolsonaro’s immediate return from the US.
Senator Renan Calheiros said in a request filed Monday that Bolsonaro needs to provide explanation about his alleged encouraging of rioters who stormed Brasilia on Sunday. He asks the justice to issue an arrest order if the former president refuses to collaborate with the investigation.
Moraes, who presides over the so-called investigation of acts against Brazil’s democracy, has already issued several arrest warrants against Bolsonaro’s supporters.