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Brazil\u2019s lower house of Congress approved a bill Wednesday aimed at reducing the time that former President Jair Bolsonaro spends behind bars following his sentence of more than 27 years<\/a><\/span> for attempting a coup. But his successor has said he would veto the measure.<\/p>\n The bill now goes to the Senate. The bill\u2019s centrist sponsor Paulinho da For\u00e7a said it\u2019s aimed at reconciliation and that if it\u2019s adopted, the right-wing ex-president\u2019s time behind bars could be reduced to two years and four months. But it would need to be sanctioned by President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, and the leftist president has previously said he would veto it.<\/p>\n Lawmakers voted 291-148 in favor of the bill following a contentious session in which scuffles broke out as members of Lula\u2019s party, which holds only a minority of seats in the chamber, protested the proceedings.<\/p>\n The legislation would shorten prison sentences for all those convicted \u2014 including Bolsonaro \u2014 in connection with a riot on Jan. 8, 2023 when Bolsonaro\u2019s supporters invaded government buildings in the capital, Brasilia. Justices said the ex-leader led a criminal organization behind the insurrection, which they said was aimed at overthrowing President Lula da Silva<\/a><\/span>, who had taken office a week earlier following Bolsonaro\u2019s election loss<\/a><\/span> in October 2022.<\/p>\n The proposal would reduce Bolsonaro\u2019s prison time by requiring the sentences for two of his convictions to run concurrently rather than consecutively, namely the crimes of attempting a coup and violent overthrow of the rule of law.<\/p>\n The bill also would change conditions for full and partial parole, allowing release from full confinement to day parole after serving one-sixth of the sentence, down from one-fourth currently.<\/p>\n Bolsonaro and his allies also have advocated<\/a><\/span> for an amnesty for the former leader, but the legislation passed Wednesday focuses on reduction of sentences rather than an annulment of convictions.<\/p>\n Da For\u00e7a, the centrist lawmaker behind the bill, said he was pushing the legislation as a way of contributing to peace and reconciliation in the politically divided country.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m doing my part, so that we can pacify Brazil, and so that we can discuss the election next year and discuss the projects that matter for Brazil,\u201d he said in a video on Instagram before the vote.<\/p>\n The lower house session, which began Tuesday afternoon, was marked by chaotic scenes prior to the vote early Wednesday. Left-wing lawmaker Glauber Braga took Speaker Hugo Motta\u2019s seat and refused to leave, in a protest against Braga\u2019s possible expulsion for breach of parliamentary decorum.<\/p>\n Security removed the media from the plenary and cut the television signal broadcasting the session. Police then forcibly removed Braga and scuffles broke out, with many lawmakers filming the scene.<\/p>\n The bill\u2019s approval comes less than a week after Bolsonaro\u2019s son, Sen. Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro, said that he would run for president<\/a><\/span> in the 2026 election. He said that his father had decided he should represent their political group.<\/p>\n The announcement displeased some right-wing politicians, who view Sao Paulo Gov. Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas, a former member of Jair Bolsonaro\u2019s Cabinet, as the natural successor. However, he has faced resistance from Bolsonaro\u2019s inner circle.<\/p>\n Bolsonaro has been in prison since Nov. 22. He was transferred from house arrest to the federal police headquarters in Brasilia after attempting to violate his ankle monitor restrictions.<\/p>\n