The Liberal Party (PL) of Brazil asserts that its only purpose today is to defend the vote in Congress on the draft law for amnesty for those implicated in the coup acts of January 2023.

«We emerged with the unanimous voice that the sole objective is the approval of the draft law on amnesty in the Chamber of Deputies and, if it prospers, subsequently in the Federal Senate,» declared congressman Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, after a meeting of the political organisation’s parliamentary group.

The meeting was called at the request of the party’s leader, Valdemar Costa, to analyse the reactions within its ranks following the preventive detention imposed on Saturday on Bolsonaro senior, honorary president of the PL.

At least 54 parliamentarians participated in the meeting, held at the party’s headquarters in Brasilia.

The Bolsonaro descendant also affirmed that they will not attempt to obstruct the Parliament’s agenda, a different strategy from the one adopted by legislators in August, when the act involved occupying the podiums of the lower house and the Senate.

When questioned about the amnesty, Flávio Bolsonaro responded that the party only accepts the broad and unrestricted version, which means the parliamentarians will not vote for a text linked solely to the reduction of sentences, known as sentencing guidelines. «We would never make that kind of deal,» he stressed.

Senator Rogério Marinho, leader of the PL in the Senate, also mentioned conversations between party representatives to try to obtain support for the pardon.

The previous day, the first panel of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) unanimously confirmed the preventive detention of Bolsonaro, ordered on Saturday by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the case’s reporting judge in the court.

De Moraes decreed the provisional arrest in response to a request from the Federal Police (PF) which indicated a flight risk, with an attempt to violate the electronic ankle monitor.

Since then, Bolsonaro, who was under house arrest, has been in a room at the PF Superintendency in this capital.

The investigating judge cited the damages to the security apparatus and the vigil called on Saturday night by Flávio Bolsonaro in front of his father’s condominium. The former president was sentenced last September to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup.

For De Moraes, a flight risk prevailed and the call for the vigil «indicates a possible attempt to use Bolsonaro’s supporters» to «obstruct the monitoring of the precautionary measures and the house arrest» to which the former far-right leader was subject.