Its approval by the Chamber of Deputies last week sparked widespread criticism. Demonstrations organized on Sunday brought together tens of thousands of people opposing it in several major cities across the country.
The former far-right leader (2019-2022) began serving his sentence at the end of November in the premises of the Federal Police in Brasilia.
Jair Bolsonaro, 70, could remain incarcerated for around eight years before benefiting from a possible reduction in his sentence, according to a calculation by the Sentence Enforcement Court in the Brazilian capital.
The proposed law, which relates generally to the application of sentences in Brazil – and not just to the ex-president – could reduce his sentence to two years and four months.
In a Parliament with a strong conservative majority, the Bolsonarists have been trying in vain since February to pass a text allowing the ex-president to benefit from a total amnesty.
But as the end-of-year parliamentary recess approaches, they believe that the reduction of his sentence constitutes a first step.
Last week, the bill was approved by deputies by a large majority of 291 votes to 148, after a stormy session.
gesture of reconciliation
In the Senate, the conservative majority is less pronounced. Several senators indicated that they would suggest changes or oppose the text.
In its current version, it is a Trojan horse Who also drastically reduces the sentences of offenders common law, warned Senator Alessandro Vieira on Tuesday.
Demonstration against the reduction of the prison sentence of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, December 14, 2025 in Sao Paulo
© / afp.com/Miguel SCHINCARIOL
Member of one of the centrist parties which control the Senate, Mr. Vieira announced that he would vote to reject the text, in a document obtained by AFP.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, eldest son of the former president recently dubbed by his father as presidential candidate, said he was willing to make concessions and make some changes.
If the proposal is not voted on by the Senate before Friday, the discussion will be postponed until 2026, an election year with the presidential election in focus in October.
The entry into force of a possible sentence reduction for Jair Bolsonaro could also be delayed if left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva decides to censor the text before its promulgation.
But Parliament will have the last word and could vote to overturn the presidential veto.
In its version approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the text also plans to grant conditional release to dozens of supporters of the ex-far-right president convicted for the riots of January 8, 2023 in Brasilia.
That day, thousands of Bolsonaristas ransacked the Parliament, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court, demanding military intervention to dislodge Lula from power, a week after the latter’s inauguration.
The rapporteur of the bill in the lower house, Paulinho da Força, described it as gesture of reconciliation in a highly polarized country.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of demonstrators expressed their discontent in the streets, with the slogans No amnesty or Parliament, enemy of the people.
Brazilian music legends like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Chico Buarque performed in concert at the event in Rio de Janeiro, on the famous Copacabana beach.
In September, following a historic trial, Jair Bolsonaro was found guilty by the Supreme Court of being the leader of a criminal organization having conspired to maintain his power despite his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.
According to the prosecution, this putschist project, which even included the assassination of Lula after his election in the second round, failed due to lack of support from the military high command.
On Monday, his lawyers reiterated a request for exceptional release from prison with a view to hospitalization to undergo surgery to stop persistent hiccups.
The former president suffers permanent after-effects after being stabbed in the stomach in 2018 during a presidential campaign rally.
