President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to the Vila Nova Star hospital in Sao Paulo in the middle of the night for treatment of an intestinal blockage. 

TV Globo showed images of him disembarking from the presidential plane on foot with his entourage. He had been returning from a weekend break over New Year in the south of the country. Globo said he was taken to the hospital after landing in Sao Paulo.

"He is in stable condition, undergoing treatment," the hospital said in a statement. "At the moment, there is no forecast for him being discharged." It was not yet clear by Monday evening whether he would need surgery.

How did Bolsonaro react?

Bolsonaro took to Twitter later on Monday, still early in the morning in Brazil, to provide some information on his condition, including the insertion of a special tube designed to take food to the stomach via the nose. 

"I started to feel sick after Sunday lunch," he wrote, saying he arrived at the hospital at around 3 a.m.. "They inserted a nasogastric tube. More tests will be done for possible surgery for internal obstruction in the abdominal region." 

Bolsonaro went on to say it was his second hospital stay with the same symptoms, "as a consequence of the stabbing and four major surgeries." 

Later in the day, he posted a picture of himself giving the thumbs up and said "More tests will be conducted for a potential surgery on an internal obstruction in the abdominal region."

Long-term problems after stabbing

Doctor Antonio Luiz Macedo, who has operated on Bolsonaro on other occasions, told Globo and news site UOL that the president would undergo several tests on his abdomen. Bolsonaro said Macedo would arrive, having returned from a holiday in the Caribbean, mid-afternoon.

Bolsonaro, 66, has been hospitalized several times since he was stabbed in the abdomen at an election rally in 2018. Most recently, he spent a few days receiving checks in July amid a bout of persistent hiccups. 

Bolsonaro intends to run for a second term in presidential elections in October, with his main rival likely to be former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, better known simply as Lula, of the left-wing Workers' Party.

ab, msh/dj (AFP, AP, Reuters)