Brazil's President Temer to Remain Hospitalized Until Friday

(Bloomberg) -- Brazilian President Michel Temer will remain hospitalized in Sao Paulo until Friday after undergoing a small surgery as the government abandoned its hopes of securing approval of a key pension reform bill.

Temer’s recovery from Wednesday’s procedure was good, but he has been advised not to travel for a few weeks, doctors at the Sirio-Libanes Hospital told reporters. The doctors dismissed any possibility of a more serious ailment, saying that all the measures taken were preventative and "not an indication of cancer."

Temer had been expected to leave Sao Paulo on Thursday to attend several meetings in Brasilia, including the swearing-in ceremony of a new minister -- which was canceled. The president’s hospital stay coincided with the government’s decision to give up pushing for a vote on pension reform this year. Despite pressure to approve the bill before congressional recess starts next week, House Speaker Rodrigo Maia acknowledged the government was still short of the support necessary. The vote will now be held in February, he said.

Temer’s plans to visit South-East Asia in mid-January have been postponed, the presidential press office wrote in a statement issued earlier on Thursday.

--With assistance from Ana Carolina Siedschlag

To contact the reporters on this story: Tatiana Freitas in São Paulo at tfreitas4@bloomberg.net, Matthew Malinowski in Brasilia at mmalinowski@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Vivianne Rodrigues at vrodrigues3@bloomberg.net, Bruce Douglas

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