Candidate designated by former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to be a candidate for the presidency of Brazil in the 2026 elections, his eldest son Flávio would be 15 points behind President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in a possible second round, a Datafolha survey showed this Saturday.
In the scenario against Flávio, Lula would obtain 51% against 36% if the second round took place today. In a scenario against Tarcísio, 47% of survey participants would vote for the president and 42% for the governor of the SP.
Another right-wing name, Paraná Governor Ratinho Jr. (PSD-PR), would obtain 41% against 47% for the PT member, according to the survey.
Flávio announced the day before the choice of his father, who is in prison after being convicted of attempted coup d’état, in addition to being ineligible due to a decision of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
The Datafolha survey, carried out before the announcement of Flávio’s name, questioned 2,002 voters, from Tuesday to Thursday, in 113 municipalities, with people over 16 years old. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus two points.
The choice of Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son shook Brazilian markets on Friday, causing interest rates to rise by more than 50 basis points and the dollar to rise almost 3% against the real, while the Ibovespa fell more than 4%.
The information was poorly received by investors, who see it as an obstacle to the presidential candidacy of the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), a market favorite.
The governors of Brazil’s southern and southeastern states said on Saturday that they do not intend, for the moment, to change their political plans for 2026, after the choice of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro as the country’s presidential candidate, according to statements made during a meeting at the Guanabara Palace.