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A report by the British magazine The Economist, published today, Friday (11/28), stated that the Brazilian right is divided after the arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, and that a clear leader has not yet emerged to be the candidate for the 2026 presidential elections.
“With less than a year to go before the election, the Brazilian right has no clear leader,” says The Economist. “And internal disputes between potential candidates are growing.”
The report cites governors Tarcisio de Freitas (from São Paulo), Ronaldo Caillado (from Goiás), and Romeo Zema (from Minas Gerais) as possible candidates, in addition to Eduardo and Flavio Bolsonaro.
The magazine points out that a few months ago, “the scenario was completely different,” with the decline in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s popularity, due to rising food prices and the weak presence of the left on social media. At that moment, the right seemed to have the advantage.
“In many ways, the Bolsonaro family bears responsibility for the change in the fortunes of the right,” the report states, citing what it calls Eduardo Bolsonaro’s pressure on Republicans against the prosecution of his father.
“While Lula called the Bolsonaro family ‘traitors to the country’, ambitious right-wing candidates found themselves in a delicate position. In trying to distance themselves from the unpopular tariffs, they also wanted to show support for Bolsonaro: any right-wing candidate needs his blessing to be able to compete in the elections,” the magazine said.
The magazine stated that the right is “losing the debate on sovereignty, tariffs and taxes” and is therefore now “attacking Lula’s weak point: security” – citing police actions in Rio de Janeiro against drug traffickers in October.
“There is still a lot that could go wrong for Lula. Most Brazilians believe the 80-year-old politician should not run again. His income tax reform could boost inflation by increasing consumption,” the magazine says.
“But for now, the biggest beneficiary of Bolsonaro’s chaotic legacy is Lula.”