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Bolsonaro Returns to Brazil to Lead Opposition Against Lula

  • Ex-president to land in Brazil Thursday after Florida vacation
  • Security forces on alert as supporters busing into Brasilia
Jair Bolsonaro during an event organized by Turning Point USA, a non-profit conservative organization, in Miami on Feb. 3.
Jair Bolsonaro during an event organized by Turning Point USA, a non-profit conservative organization, in Miami on Feb. 3.Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg
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After three months of vacation in Florida, Jair Bolsonaro is finally returning to Brazil on Thursday to assume the role of opposition leader and challenge the leftist government of his foe Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The right-wing movements Bolsonaro inspired have eagerly awaited his return, and some of his backers were heading toward the nation’s capital ahead of his arrival, according to the federal highway police. Allies expect the former president, who narrowly lost reelection last year, to rally both his base in congress and supporters across the country, providing a jolt to opposition efforts just as problems mount for Lula’s administration.