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Bad hiccups, but no immediate surgery for Brazil's president

Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins presidential election in Brazil
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RIO DE JANEIRO — After 10 straight days of hiccups, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital Wednesday with an intestinal obstruction, but doctors said they would not operate immediately.

Hospital Nova Star in Sao Paulo said in a statement Wednesday night that Bolsonaro will receive “a conservative clinical treatment."

Earlier Wednesday, Bolsonaro was transferred from a military hospital in the capital of Brasilia to another hospital in Sao Paulo, where he underwent tests.

The president has undergone several operations since being stabbed in the abdomen during his 2018 campaign.

In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has appeared to struggle with speaking on various occasions and said that he suffers from recurring hiccups.

“I apologize to everyone who is listening to me, because I’ve been hiccupping for five days now,” the president said in an interview with Radio Guaiba on July 7. He suggested that some medications prescribed after dental surgery might be the cause. “I have the hiccups 24 hours a day.”