Bolsonaro’s son Flavio gets father’s backing for 2026 Brazil presidential bid
BRASILIA: Senator Flavio Bolsonaro announced on Friday that his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, has endorsed him as the presidential candidate for Brazil’s 2026 election.
The senator declared on social media that his father had chosen him for “the mission of carrying on our project for the nation.”
Valdemar Costa Neto, head of Bolsonaro’s right-wing Liberal Party, confirmed the jailed former president had tapped his eldest son as the party’s candidate.
The news immediately rattled Brazilian financial markets, with the currency falling as much as 3% against the US dollar.
The benchmark Bovespa stock index dropped around 4% on the announcement.
Investors had hoped Bolsonaro would back a more market-friendly candidate with executive experience, such as Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas.
Andre Perfeito, an economist at Garantia Capital, warned the decision could “implode” ties between Bolsonaro’s right-wing movement and more centrist parties.
“The market was betting on Tarcisio to build those alliances and pave the way to victory on the right in 2026,” he wrote in a note.
Flavio Bolsonaro acknowledged he was not everyone’s first choice in an interview with Metropoles.
“Now it’s time for me to talk to more people so that everyone understands that this is actually the project that will be victorious in 2026,” the senator said.
He added that his economic program would offer predictability and be formed by serious people.
The senator also stated he had spoken with Governor de Freitas, who he said supported and respected his presidential run.
Flavio Bolsonaro, 44, was elected to the Senate in 2018 during the same election that brought his father to power.
He previously served as a state lawmaker in Rio de Janeiro and ran unsuccessfully for Rio mayor in 2016.
His brother, federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, expressed full support for the candidacy.
“Flavio unites the base, has good political dialogue and has my full support,” Eduardo Bolsonaro told Reuters.
Former President Jair Bolsonaro has been barred from running for office since June 2023.
He was sentenced in September to over 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
CNN Brasil reported the right-wing leader offered his support during a visit to the federal police offices where he is serving his sentence.
