Brazilian opposition leader did not apply to Italy for citizenship-ROME
2023.01.10 09:11
Brazilian opposition leader did not apply to Italy for citizenship-ROME
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – Italy said on Tuesday that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has not applied for Italian citizenship and probably would not be granted it even if he did, following the arrests of hundreds of his supporters for storming Brazil’s state institutions.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist who took office in Brazil on January 1 after defeating far-right rival Bolsonaro in an election in October, has promised to bring those responsible for the violence that occurred in Brasilia over the weekend to justice.
At the end of last year, 48 hours before his term was to end, Bolsonaro took a flight to the United States. Brazilian media have reported that he was attempting to obtain Italian citizenship, and he is the subject of at least four criminal investigations at home.
However, this was refuted by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Tajani stated on Italian radio, “He hasn’t asked for it, and I don’t believe he can have it, as far as I’m concerned.”
Under Italian law, anyone who can demonstrate that they had Italian ancestors is eligible for nationality regardless of generation. However, criminal histories are taken into account when applications are submitted.
Since Bolsonaro and his children are eligible for citizenship because the former Brazilian president’s great-grandfather was born in Anguillara, which is in north-east Italy,
The Italian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Flavio and Edoardo, two of Bolsonaro’s four sons, had requested citizenship in 2020. Their request is still under consideration.
The request is handled by Italian consulates in the nations where applications are made, and the paperwork should be processed within 24 months.
However, a diplomatic source stated that the Italian consulates in Brazil had received an overwhelming number of applications, indicating that applicants would likely have to wait years for an Italian passport.
Angelo Bonelli, a left-leaning member of the Italian parliament, has urged the government not to grant citizenship to any members of the Bolsonaro family. He cautioned that Bolsonaro’s sons should not receive preferential treatment and stated that it typically took between 10 and 15 years for individuals with ancestral ties to obtain citizenship.
Bonelli has accused the Bolsonaros of actively supporting a weekend attack by thousands of the former president’s followers on Brazil’s most important institutions.
“The government of Italy needs to be clear. Bolsonaro’s children and the former president are denied citizenship. “No citizenship for those who support coup plotters,” Bonelli stated.
In the worst attack on state institutions since Brazil returned to democracy in the 1980s, enraged mobs smashed windows, furniture, and artwork as they rampaged through the Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential offices on Sunday.
According to Bolsonaro’s statement to CNN Brasil, he had originally intended to remain in the United States until the end of January but would now sooner return to Brazil to see his doctors.
Bolsonaro is close to the right-wing League party in Italy, which is part of the coalition that is in charge. League leader Matteo Salvini has referred to him as a friend in the past.
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In 2021, Bolsonaro paid a visit to his great-grandfather’s house and received “honorary citizenship” from the League-affiliated mayor of Anguillara. The highest court in Italy is hearing a challenge to the move.
