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Brazilian President Bolsonaro hospitalized with intestinal obstruction

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in November.
(Raul Spinasse / Associated Press)
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was taken to a Sao Paulo hospital for tests early Monday after experiencing abdominal discomfort, the government said in a statement.

The hospital where he was admitted, Vila Nova Star, said the president had an intestinal obstruction and was in stable condition. Bolsonaro is “doing well” and further information will be provided later, according to the government’s statement.

Bolsonaro posted a photo of himself on Twitter giving a thumbs up from his hospital bed. He wrote that more tests would be done for a possible surgery.

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Bolsonaro, 66, has experienced a series of medical issues since he was stabbed in the abdomen on the campaign trail in 2018. At the time, the president was operated on by Dr. Antonio Luiz Macedo, whose team is overseeing his treatment in Sao Paulo. Television network Globo reported that Macedo was on vacation in the Bahamas and awaiting a flight back to Sao Paulo, Brazil’s financial capital.

Ten months before the next presidential election, Brazil is more polarized than at any point in recent memory.

The president was admitted to the hospital in July for another intestinal obstruction, following days in which he appeared to struggle with speaking at times and said he suffered from hiccups that could go uninterrupted for days. At the time, he didn’t require surgery to recover.

Bolsonaro had been on vacation in southern Brazil, and had no public appearances scheduled Monday.

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