Overview
- The National Congress, which voted Thursday to overturn the veto, reinstated a reform that changes how multiple convictions are combined.
- The law applies only the heaviest sentence and then adds a limited increase instead of stacking full terms, and it allows earlier suspension of the remaining time under set conditions.
- Former president Jair Bolsonaro’s roughly 27-year term could drop far lower under the new math, with some outlets reporting just over two years and others noting possible parole after about two and a half years.
- Any reduction is not automatic because the Supreme Federal Court must review each case, and legal challenges to the law’s constitutionality are expected.
- The decision is a political blow to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after the Senate rejected his Supreme Court nominee a day earlier, as Bolsonaro allies cheered and said the measure could also aid scores convicted over the January 8, 2023 attacks.