Challenges Faced by Jair Bolsonaro: Obstacles and Turning Points

A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped Jair Bolsonaro's life and career.

Jair Messias Bolsonaro is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. Prior to his presidency, he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies for nearly three decades, from 1991 to 2019. His political career has been marked by conservative and nationalist views.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1986: Criticism of military wages

In 1986, Bolsonaro gained publicity after writing an article for Veja magazine criticizing low military wages, leading to his arrest and detention.

1986: Interview about low military salaries

In 1986, Bolsonaro gave an interview to Veja magazine complaining about low military salaries and alleged dismissals due to budgetary cuts, gaining attention and praise from hardliners.

October 1987: Accusation of planning to plant bombs

In October 1987, Bolsonaro faced accusations reported by Veja, alleging plans to plant bombs in military units in Rio de Janeiro. Sketches were published in the magazine's next issue, detailing the alleged plan.

2014: Brazilian economic crisis

Bolsonaro focused on domestic affairs in his first months as president, dealing primarily with the fallout of the 2014 Brazilian economic crisis.

November 2017: Sentenced for Hate Speech

In November 2017, the Court of Justice for the State of Rio de Janeiro sentenced Bolsonaro to pay a fine of R$150,000 for hate speech related to comments he made on television in 2011. The judge stated that Bolsonaro abused his right to free expression by attacking and humiliating others.

September 2018: Bolsonaro Stabbed During Campaign

On September 6, 2018, while campaigning in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen. His son initially reported superficial wounds, but later disclosed the severity, including damage to the liver, lung, and intestine, leading to significant blood loss. The attack was widely condemned, and Bolsonaro was transferred to a hospital in São Paulo the following day.

October 2018: First round of election and controversial speech

On October 7, 2018, Bolsonaro finished first in the first round of the election with 46% of the vote, leading to a runoff against Haddad. After the first round, he gave a controversial speech threatening political opponents. A second round was held on October 28, 2018.

2018: Venezuela Presidential Crisis

In 2018, the disputed results of the Venezuelan presidential election led to a crisis. Bolsonaro recognized Juan Guaidó as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela.

2018: Official records about bomb accusations surfaced

Official records unearthed by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo in 2018 detailed the October 1987 case, where Jair Bolsonaro was accused of planning to plant bombs in military units in Rio de Janeiro.

May 2019: Bolsonaro's Popularity Declined

In May 2019, a Datafolha survey indicated that more Brazilians disapproved of Bolsonaro's government than approved of it for the first time. Gustavo Bebianno, a top advisor, was also fired due to allegations of campaign-finance fraud.

May 2019: Federal Court finds Adélio Bispo not liable

In May 2019, the Federal Court found Adélio Bispo de Oliveira, Bolsonaro's attacker, not liable for his actions due to a "permanent paranoid delusional disorder". Bolsonaro did not appeal the decision.

November 2019: Bolsonaro Leaves Social Liberal Party

In November 2019, Bolsonaro left the Social Liberal Party due to conflicts with its leadership. His attempt to form a new party, Alliance for Brazil, failed to gather enough signatures for registration.

June 2020: Cabinet Resignations

By June 2020, several ministers in Bolsonaro's cabinet, including the ministers of Justice and Education, the Secretary of Government, and the head of the postal service, had resigned due to ideological clashes and falling out of favor with Bolsonaro.

November 2020: COVID-19 Vaccine Stance and OCCRP Award

In November 2020, Bolsonaro said he would not take a COVID vaccine but would support it if deemed safe. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) awarded him its Person of the Year Award for promoting organized crime and corruption.

2020: Bolsonaro Downplays COVID-19

Throughout 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Bolsonaro was accused of downplaying the crisis, claiming it was no deadlier than "the flu" and prioritizing economic recovery over public health.

March 2021: Dismissal of Defence Minister and Resignations

In March 2021, Bolsonaro dismissed Fernando Azevedo e Silva as defence minister, replacing him with Walter Souza Braga Netto, who, like Bolsonaro, admired the 1964–1985 military dictatorship. The day after Netto's appointment, the leaders of the army, air force, and navy all resigned.

June 2021: Calls for Impeachment

By the end of June 2021, opposition members increasingly called for Bolsonaro's impeachment, citing his handling of the pandemic and spreading of misinformation.

June 2021: Nationwide Protests Erupt

In June 2021, nationwide protests erupted against Bolsonaro's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with approximately 100,000 protesters in São Paulo alone.

July 2021: "vaccine-gate" scandal emerges

In July 2021, Bolsonaro claimed that his government's greatest achievement was "two and a half years without corruption". In the same month, the "vaccine-gate" scandal emerged, revealing irregularities in a deal to purchase the Covaxin vaccine from Bharat Biotech at an inflated price, leading to a Supreme Court criminal investigation of Bolsonaro.

August 2021: Threats of Unconstitutional Measures

In early August 2021, Bolsonaro threatened to respond with unconstitutional measures to an investigation over his baseless allegations of fraud vulnerabilities in Brazil's electronic voting system.

October 2021: Senate Committee Calls for Criminal Charges

On October 26, 2021, a Senate committee approved a report calling for Bolsonaro to face criminal charges, including crimes against humanity, for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: Brazilian economy was bouncing back

In early 2021, despite Bolsonaro claiming that COVID-19 was no deadlier than "the flu", the Brazilian economy was bouncing back, albeit somewhat slowly and inconsistently, as the pandemic was still threatening to undo any economic recovery.

December 2022: Bolsonaro presents plan to overturn election

In December 2022, Marco Antônio Freire Gomes said that he had warned Bolsonaro the army would not tolerate "any act of institutional rupture", and further added that Bolsonaro's actions could result in his arrest. Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior testified that he tried to dissuade Bolsonaro of "any extreme measure" and expressed his belief that Freire Gomes was instrumental in avoiding the use of a legal document that Bolsonaro presented in several meetings in December 2022 to overturn the results of the election.

2022: Accusations of overturning the 2022 election results

In February 2024, the Federal Police raided former government officials and ordered Bolsonaro to hand in his passport over accusations that he and his allies tried to overturn the results of the 2022 election and planned a coup d'état. In March 2024, witness documents released by the Superior Electoral Court were made public. According to two military officials, Bolsonaro had plotted to overturn the 2022 results and presented top military officials a plan to carry out a coup with the goal of keeping him in power.

2022: Loss in general election

In the 2022 general election, Bolsonaro lost to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

2022: Bolsonaro prosecuted on fraud charges in the 2022 elections

On June 30, 2023 the Superior Electoral Court barred Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030 as a result of his attempts to undermine the validity of Brazil's 2022 democratic election, as well as for abuse of power with regard to using government channels to promote his campaign. He was prosecuted on several fraud charges in the 2022 elections and situations linked to the 8 January attack on federal government buildings.

2022: Bolsonaro's Defeat in the 2022 presidential elections

On November 21, 2024, the Federal Police indicted Bolsonaro and 36 other people related to Bolsonaro's defeat in the 2022 presidential elections. He is alleged to have known of a plot to assassinate his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and to overturn the election result.

January 2023: Attack on government buildings by Bolsonaro supporters

On January 8, 2023, Bolsonaro's supporters attacked the Supreme Court of Brazil, the National Congress, and the Planalto Presidential Palace in an attempt to instigate a military coup. Bolsonaro condemned the protesters on January 9, 2023, in a Twitter post and denied responsibility.

January 2023: Storming of government buildings by supporters

On January 8, 2023, a mob of Bolsonaro's supporters stormed federal government buildings, calling for a coup d'état.

April 2023: Supreme Court orders Bolsonaro to be questioned

On April 14, 2023, Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered Jair Bolsonaro to submit himself for questioning with the Federal Police regarding the storming of the Congress.

June 2023: Bolsonaro barred from public office until 2030

On June 30, 2023, the Superior Electoral Court barred Jair Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030 due to his attempts to undermine the validity of Brazil's 2022 democratic election, as well as abuse of power.

October 2023: Bolsonaro convicted by the Superior Electoral Court

On October 31, 2023, Jair Bolsonaro was again convicted by the Superior Electoral Court for abuse of power during Brazil's Independence Day ceremony. Former defence minister Walter Braga Netto was also convicted and disqualified.

February 2024: Federal Police raid and passport confiscation

In February 2024, the Federal Police raided former government officials and ordered Jair Bolsonaro to hand in his passport over accusations of attempts to overturn the 2022 election and planning a coup d'état.

March 2024: Release of witness documents on coup plot

In March 2024, witness documents released by the Superior Electoral Court revealed that Jair Bolsonaro had plotted to overturn the 2022 election results and presented a coup plan to top military officials.

March 2024: Release of footage showing Bolsonaro in Hungarian embassy

In late March 2024, The New York Times released footage showing Jair Bolsonaro entering the Hungarian embassy in Brasília on February 12 and leaving on February 14, after his passports were confiscated due to a coup investigation. The Hungarian ambassador reportedly had local employees work from home during those dates.

March 2024: Bolsonaro accused of fraud on COVID-19 vaccine records

On March 19, 2024, the Federal Police formally accused Jair Bolsonaro of fraud on his COVID-19 vaccine records.

July 2024: Bolsonaro charged with money laundering

In July 2024, the Federal Police charged Jair Bolsonaro with money laundering and criminal conspiracy related to undeclared diamonds he allegedly received from Saudi Arabia while in office.

November 2024: Bolsonaro charged with plotting a coup d'état

In November 2024, Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others were formally charged with plotting a coup d'état, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, and criminal organisation.

November 2024: Indictment by the Federal Police of Brazil

In November 2024, Jair Bolsonaro was indicted by the Federal Police of Brazil of multiple crimes related to the coup.

November 2024: Bolsonaro indicted over election defeat

On November 21, 2024, the Federal Police indicted Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people related to Bolsonaro's defeat in the 2022 presidential elections. He is alleged to have known of a plot to assassinate his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and to overturn the election result.

February 2025: Bolsonaro charged with plotting to assassinate Lula da Silva

In February 2025, Jair Bolsonaro and 33 others were formally charged with plotting to assassinate Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

February 2025: Charged and ordered to stand trial

In February 2025, Jair Bolsonaro was charged, and the Supreme Court ruled he must stand trial.

May 2025: Trial against Bolsonaro begins

On May 19, 2025, the trial against Jair Bolsonaro and 80 other officials began in Brasília.

July 2025: Police search Bolsonaro's home

On July 18, 2025, police again searched Jair Bolsonaro's home and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle tag.

August 2025: Placed under house arrest

On August 4, 2025, Jair Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest for using a mobile phone and accessing social media via his son Eduardo, violating pre-trial rules.

September 2025: Bolsonaro sentenced to prison

On September 11, 2025, the Supreme Federal Court sentenced Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and 3 months in prison over the coup plot.

September 16, 2025: Hospitalization and Diagnosis

On September 16, 2025, Bolsonaro's son was transported to a hospital in Brasília after reportedly feeling sick.

2030: Bolsonaro is barred from running for public office until 2030

On June 30, 2023, the Superior Electoral Court barred Jair Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030 as a result of his attempts to undermine the validity of Brazil's 2022 democratic election, as well as for abuse of power with regard to using government channels to promote his campaign.

2030: Blocked from seeking office

On June 30, 2030, the Superior Electoral Court blocked Bolsonaro from seeking office until 2030 for attempting to undermine the validity of the election through his unfounded claims of voter fraud, and for abusing his power by using government communication channels to both promote his campaign and to allege fraud.