(Reuters) – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will return to Brazil on March 30, his Liberal Party confirmed via social media on Friday, following more than three months of self-imposed exile in the United States after losing his re-election bid.
“Our national president, Valdemar Costa Neto, confirms to everyone that Jair Bolsonaro will return to Brazil on March 30. Bolsonaro will disembark in Brasilia at 7:30 a.m.,” the Liberal Party said on social media.
Bolsonaro traveled to the United States on Dec. 30, just two days before the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, skipping the traditional ritual of passing the presidential sash to his successor.
The right-wing former president has previously said that, once back in Brazil, he intends to lead the opposition and defend himself against accusations that he instigated the Jan. 8 riots in Brasilia, in which his supporters stormed government buildings.
(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Steven Grattan and Bill Berkrot)