Federal Rep. Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) has stated that his brother and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) is “more prepared” to run for president than former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro (PL). This statement came in an interview with UOL, amid uncertainty within the family about who will be chosen to inherit political office in 2026 from former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who was arrested last Saturday. On this occasion, Eduardo also responded to the comments of allies who claimed that he was “taking an oath.”
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– I don’t want to underestimate Michele at all, but Flavio will be in a more ready position to take on this difficult task, this challenge, than she is now – she said. – Flavio is already a well-known person, has a more visible profile, and gets along well with many people in the center, so he has traffic. He’s someone who’s more interested in dialogue, so I think he has a proven and tested ability already.
During the interview, Eduardo also criticized the allies’ formulation of the candidacy of Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans), describing the São Paulo governor as a name that is “not a right-wing”, but rather “a centrist technocrat who believes, in the political scenario, that there is still room for dialogue with (Minister Alexandre de) Moraes.”
– I even think he sees people as these extremists that he wants to stay away from. He also thinks he has the votes of the prisoner of truth. This is a problem, because he believes that the votes of the right are guaranteed, so he is trying to please the center and the left, and this is a wrong strategy.
When asked about the clashes between him and other right-wing leaders, Eduardo said that he needed to “defend himself” from attacks and that he would not change his position, even under party pressure, so that the differences would not become public.
—And I don’t care if they say I swear an oath. I will tell the truth. “That’s how I learned from my father (about) creating a political movement – he stated.”
Postponing the discussion of choosing a successor
As GLOBO showed, Bolsonaro’s arrest over the weekend prompted the family to launch an operation to prevent the former president’s moment of weakness from opening the way for a repositioning that they consider premature. The order, made clear in public messages and reiterated in private conversations, was to freeze any discussion around 2026.
On the one hand, Chancellor Carlos Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) has adopted a tougher tone publicly, classifying the allies’ discussion of 2026 as “political absurdities.” On the other hand, Flavio took on the role of speaker in private conversations. Since Saturday, according to allies, the senator has repeatedly said that it is not the right time to talk about 2026.
Among the referees set to take possession – in addition to Tarcisio, Ronaldo Caido (GO), Ratinho Junior (PR) and Romeo Zema (MG) who have also made themselves available – the mood is cautious. All have publicly defended Bolsonaro, avoiding any statement that could be interpreted as an advance on the former president’s leadership, despite concerns about setting the scenario. According to one of Tarcisio’s interlocutors, this is the time “not to anger the family.”