RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's vice president, retired army general Hamilton Mourao, took over as interim president on Monday in the absence of President Jair Bolsonaro.

Mourao will stand in as president while Bolsonaro travels to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum, his first trip abroad since his inauguration on Jan. 1.

However, Mourao may remain in office longer, because on his return, Bolsonaro is expected to undergo surgery to reverse a colostomy he underwent in September after he was stabbed at a campaign event.

The reversal surgery was supposed to take place in December but was postponed due to an infection, and the government has yet to officially confirm the date for the procedure.