One day after announcing as Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) candidate to run for the presidency in 2026, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) stated, this Saturday (6/12), that negotiations have begun.
The son of the former president, “01”, stressed on social networks that the first gesture that should be requested by all “political leaders who say they are against Lula is to agree to an amnesty this year.” looks:
The decision was made yesterday and today I start negotiations!
The first gesture I ask of all political leaders who say they are anti-Lula is to agree to an amnesty this year!
I hope I am not being extreme by asking for pardon for innocent people. We only have two weeks, let’s join together… pic.twitter.com/u05dFpSqHu
– Flavio Bolsonaro (@FlavioBolsonaro) December 6, 2025
On Friday (5/12), Flavio’s name was confirmed as the Liberal Party’s candidate for the Presidency of the Republic in the 2026 elections.
the Capitals revealed In Paulo Capelli’s column, the former president, imprisoned in the Federal Police Prison (PF) in Brasilia, communicated the decision to his interlocutors and close allies.
In a message posted on social media, Flavio said that he received the mission with “great responsibility,” and classified his father as “the greatest political and moral leader in Brazil.”
The senator said, in a post on social media: “I confirm the decision to assign me the task of continuing our nation’s project.”
Flavio has adopted a critical tone towards the current government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and mobilized the religious discourse that represents part of its base. “I will not stand by while I watch families’ hope vanish and our democracy crumble,” he wrote. He stated that he believes God “opens doors, tears down walls, and guides every step of this journey.”
The movement reorganizes the right-wing political council. Michelle Bolsonaro must run for the Senate from the Federal District, while Vice President Flavio must come from a centrist party.
On the government side, the wings of the Workers’ Party are defending a repeat of the Lula-Alkmén ticket. According to a column by Igor Gadelha, of CapitalsTarcisio was personally informed of the decision during recent meetings with Flavio himself in São Paulo.
See Flavio’s post:
I confirm with great responsibility the decision of Brazil’s greatest political and moral leader, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, to entrust me with the task of continuing our nation’s project.
I cannot, and will not, resign myself to seeing our country go for a while… pic.twitter.com/vBvHS7M0hJ
– Flavio Bolsonaro (@FlavioBolsonaro) December 5, 2025
The cracks are on the right
This formalization caused an immediate split on the right. On social media, profiles from the most loyal core of Bolsonarians celebrated the nomination. “My 2026 candidate has arrived,” one supporter wrote, alongside a photo of Flavio with the AI-generated presidential sash. Another said: “Flavio Bolsonaro in the first round. He said it, he said it.” Former government communications minister Fabio Wajngarten said, “Any and all decisions made by the former president are sovereign decisions.”
But the wing associated with the governor of São Paulo, Tarcicio de Freitas (Republicans), reacted angrily. “In the first round, I vote for Renan Santos; in the second, I vote for Lula, against Flavio Rachadina,” one X user joked. Another said: “Bolsonaro made me vote for Lula. For Lula, man.”
Despite the split on the right, the option is being treated as strategic in the Bolsonaro clan. After his arrest and exit from the race, Jair Bolsonaro sees Flavio as having a more moderate personality and greater capacity for political dialogue, in addition to having strong platforms, like Tarcisio and the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Claudio Castro (PL). The senator is expected to expand travel and adopt a pre-election campaign agenda to gain national strength.