BRASILIA, Brazil -- Former President Jair Bolsonaro returned to Brazil Thursday after a three-month stint in Florida following his election loss, and the right-wing populist told supporters he doesn't think leftists will be in power in Brazil for long.
Bolsonaro, who is the subject of several investigations that could stymie any attempts at a political comeback, arrived in a capital under tight security. Authorities sought to avoid any repeat of Jan. 8 events when supporters who didn't accept his defeat stormed government buildings. Police in Brasilia blocked the main artery to those buildings.
Hundreds of supporters dressed in Brazil's national colors of yellow and green chanted for Bolsonaro as they awaited his arrival, but his return did not draw the huge crowds many of his allies had expected.
The former president said in his first speech after touching down that his leftist successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his allies "will not do whatever they want to the fate of our nation" and added that the left will only keep power "for now, for a little while."
Speaking in front of a banner that read "today Brazil woke up stronger," Bolsonaro said he would spend as much time as necessary at the headquarters of his Liberal Party to help the campaign for next year's municipal races when the country elects 5,500 mayors nationwide.
Bolsonaro left Brazil just before the end of his presidential term. In so doing, he broke with tradition by declining to hand the presidential sash to his successor, Lula, who won the October election with the narrowest finish since Brazil's return to democracy over three decades earlier.
Information for this article was contributed by Mauricio Savarese of The Associated Press.
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro waves to supporters at the Liberal Party's headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Bolsonaro arrived back in Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida, seeking a new role on the political scene. (AP Photo/Gustavo Moreno)
A supporter holds Brazil's national flag as he waits for the arrival of Brazil's Former President Jair Bolsonaro outside the airport in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Bolsonaro arrived back in Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida, seeking a new role on the political scene. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro waves to supporters at the Liberal Party's headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Bolsonaro arrived back in Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida, seeking a new role on the political scene. (AP Photo/Gustavo Moreno)
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters outside the Liberal Party's headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Bolsonaro arrived back in Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida. (AP Photo/Gustavo Moreno)
A supporter takes a selfie with a man wearing a mask in the likeness of Brazil's Former President Jair Bolsonaro at the Brasilia International Airport, in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Bolsonaro arrived back in Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida, seeking a new role on the political scene. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro waves to supporters at the Liberal Party's headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Bolsonaro arrived back in Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida, seeking a new role on the political scene. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)