Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro hospitalized with abdominal pain

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro was stable after being hospitalized on Friday because of abdominal pain, his doctors said.

The former president had been speaking at a political rally in Santa Cruz, a small city in the northern state of Rio Grande do Norte, when he started feeling unwell.

He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in the state capital Natal.

Bolsonaro's local medical team said he was stable with no symptoms, but did not provide an estimate as to when he would be released.

In a post on social media, the far-right former leader said he would not require surgery for now and was looking forward to resuming his trip.

Bolsonaro has fought stomach issues since near-fatal stabbing

 The former Brazilian president has previously had abdominal surgery related to a stabbing attack ahead of the 2018 election.

The stabbing was nearly fatal, as he lost some 40% of his blood and had to have emergency surgery.

One of those subsequent procedures was the placement and later removal of a colostomy bag, which made him prone to intestinal disorders.

Bolsonaro on the campaign trail

The hospitalization comes as Bolsonaro, who was president from 2019 to 2022, was beginning a political campaign trip across Brazil's northeast. 

He has been calling for his supporters who stormed the capital Brasilia after he lost the 2022 election to be pardoned.

Brazil's Supreme Court ruled that the former army captain will have to stand trial, accused of trying to overthrow the government after that electoral loss.

As a result of the impending trial, he has been barred from running for office until 2030. Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing and accused the court of persecuting him.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse