MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian Vice President breaks two-day silence and roots for Bolsonaro's prompt recovery

“Happy with the improvement of our PR Jair Bolsonaro. I keep rooting for his short recovery,” said Mourão

Brazil's Vice President Hamilton Mourão Friday celebrated the prompt recovery of President Jair Bolsonaro, who is still hospitalized in São Paulo for an intestinal obstruction.

Mourão's words came after two days of speculations as to his silence when the President was flown from Brasilia to the Vila Nova Star Hospital to seek high-quality medical treatment for a condition that put his chances of survival in doubt.

But despite his feebleness, at no point did Bolsonaro relinquish his powers over to the Vice President, who left the country on an official assignment (see below).

“Happy with the improvement of our PR Jair Bolsonaro. I keep rooting for his short recovery,” said Mourão on Twitter.

Mourão is due back from Angola Saturday after participating in the Summit of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).

In any case, Mourão's stance in Brazil's political crisis is being watched closely. According to Crusoé magazine, the retired Army general has admitted to having discussed the likelihood of Bolsonaro being impeached for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The publication has quoted the Vice President as having endorsed ministers Tarcísio de Freitas and Tereza Cristina, for “any post-Bolsonaro government would necessarily have to count on the presence of these two members of the first echelon.”

Mourão reportedly made those remarks to a group of businessmen from São Paulo, as per Crusoé's article. “In the conversation, the general would have praised the ministers of Infrastructure, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, and of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina, and said that any post-Bolsonaro government would necessarily have to count on the presence of these two members of the first echelon”, the magazine said.

In Mourão's absence and should anything happen to Bolsonaro, Arthur Lira, the House of Deputies' Speaker, a loyal Bolsonarist who has been fencing off motions for the president's impeachment, would take over the Executive.

According to the latest report, Bolsonaro's physician Doctor Luiz Antonio Macedo, told O Globo that the president should be released in two days. A hospital bulletin released Friday says the president “is doing well and continues to progress satisfactorily, with unaltered medical conduct.”

Earlier Friday Bolsonaro had posted on social media a photo of himself walking around the hospital. “Soon back in the field, God willing. We have done a lot, but we still have a lot to do for Brazil. Thank you for your support and prayers,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, in Luanda, Angola took over the presidency for the 2021-2023 period of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) on the closing day of the convention.

In addition, Luanda hosted several collateral events this week, including a regular session of the CPLP Food and Nutrition Security Council and a round table on economic and business cooperation.

The group, created on July 17, 1996, is currently made up of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor.

While at Luanda, Mourão met Friday with Angolan President João Lourenço to discuss various subjects of mututal interest. Mourão heads the National Council for the Legal Amazon (Cnal), which takes care of the conservation interests of the Amazon rainforest. Also participating in the conversation were Brazil's Ambassador to Luanda, Rafael Vidal, and Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs at the Planalto Palace (SAE), Admiral Flávio Rocha.

The Vice President then had lunch with local businessmen at the Brazilian embassy in Angola. “We discussed the challenges and potential of relations between Brazil and Angola, in the economic-commercial aspect,” said Mourão on social media.