SAO PAULO, Sept 13 — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will need four days more than planned to recover from abdominal surgery, his spokesman said yesterday.

"The president of the republic's team of doctors has decided to keep him away from the exercise of his duties... four additional days, from September 13, to give him a longer period to recover,” said Otavio Rego Barros, his spokesman.

"The state of the president's health... is evolving positively,” he added.

Barros had earlier said that Bolsonaro would return to work today, though he would still be feeding via a nasogastric tube due to intestinal problems which prevented him from taking food normally after the surgery.

Bolsonaro, 64, underwent a five-hour operation on Sunday to repair an abdominal hernia, leaving Vice President Hamilton Mourao as acting president during his recovery.

The procedure on Bolsonaro took two hours longer than anticipated. It was his fourth operation since being stabbed in the stomach a year ago at a campaign rally.

On Monday, the president broadcast a video of himself on Twitter walking along a hospital corridor, and was also able to ingest liquid food.

Yesterday, he posted a photo of himself standing besides his doctors, with the nasogastric tube inserted.

Bolsonaro is due to fly to New York later this month to address the UN General Assembly. — AFP