Brazil’s far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving his sentence for attempting a coup in a Brasilia prison, has named his eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, as a candidate in the 2026 elections.
The “dynastic succession” of the right had its formal support. The 44-year-old senator, considered more moderate than his father, received the support of both parties, the Liberal Party, to start the election campaign, most likely against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“It is with great responsibility that I confirm the decision of the greatest political and moral leader of Brazil, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, to entrust me with the task of giving continuity to our national project,” wrote Flávio Bolsonaro in X.
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Former Brazilian right-wing and far-right president Bolsonaro was jailed in Brasilia last month after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for an attempted coup in 2022 against Lula, with whom he lost elections.
“Flávio told me that our captain (Jair Bolsonaro) has confirmed his candidacy. If Bolsonaro said that, everything is said!” wrote Liberal Party President Valdemar Costa Neto in a statement.
Flávio Bolsonaro was a loyal companion of the former president, especially during his trial.
The Sao Paulo Stock Exchange’s Ibovespa index, the most important index in Latin America, suffered after the announcement, closing down 4.3% on the day. This happened because the market wanted Tarcísio de Freitas, the governor of São Paulo, the economic capital of Brazil, for the position and was closer to the establishment.
In the family. The 80-year-old Lula, who ruled Brazil between 2003 and 2010, announced in Jakarta in October that he would seek the presidency for a fourth time, but later mentioned it again only as a possibility.
With former President Bolsonaro dropping out of the campaign, the right has considered other names for its candidate, including that of former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.
Flávio is the son of Jair Bolsonaro’s previous marriage and has had differences of opinion with his stepmother, whom he recently described as “authoritarian” in internal party discussions. Flávio later said that they apologized to each other.
“May the Lord give you wisdom, strength and grace for the good of our nation,” Michelle wrote this Friday in an Instagram message dedicated to her stepson.
The former president, 70, has four other children. One of them, Eduardo Bolsonaro, is a congressman currently based in the United States who campaigned on behalf of his father during the trial before the Donald Trump administration.
“We all know that the people wanted our father as a candidate. My brother will raise the flag of ideals,” Eduardo wrote in X.
In addition to his conviction and political disqualification, Jair Bolsonaro is suffering from health problems stemming from a stab wound he suffered during an election rally in 2018. After numerous operations, after-effects and discomfort remained.