The senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45 years old, announced his candidacy for the presidency of Brazil this Saturday at a convention of the Liberal Party (PL) held at the Pacaembu stadium in São Paulo, as the bolsonarista movement aims to regain power in the elections this October.
The eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro —sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for attempted coup and currently under house arrest with severe restrictions— presented himself to hundreds of supporters as the continuer of the political project his father started in 2018.
"I can be calmer and more moderate, but I have Bolsonaro's blood," the senator stated in his speech, acknowledging a different style from his father's while pledging to maintain the same ideological course.
Presented to the public by his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro, the candidate promised to "rescue Brazil" from what he described as a country "hijacked" by the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Workers' Party (PT), which he accused of promoting corruption, increasing the tax burden, and persecuting his political opponents.
Flávio described his father as a victim of political persecution and stated that they attempted to eliminate him on three occasions: the stabbing he suffered during the 2018 campaign, the subsequent imprisonment, and the current isolation. "No prison will silence the feeling of hope that we have awakened," he declared.
Given that judicial restrictions prevent Jair Bolsonaro from publicly participating in electoral activities, the event included a message from the former president generated by artificial intelligence. "Welcome with open arms the person I chose to replace me. My son Flávio comes with faith. Brazil has a future, and the future is Flávio Bolsonaro as president," the digital recreation stated.
The candidate also received messages of support from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from Michelle Bolsonaro —wife of Jair— and from his brothers Eduardo, self-exiled in the United States, and Carlos, a former councilman in Rio de Janeiro, who stated: "I trust in your ability to carry on Jair Bolsonaro's work."
One of the most heated moments of the convention was led by Argentine President Javier Milei, who fiercely attacked Lula da Silva and called on Flávio to take action. “Brazil has not yet experienced the most disastrous consequences of this model, but it can if it doesn’t change course. We trust you, Flávio, to stop the socialist trash!” he exclaimed.
Milei accused Lula of "spreading communism" throughout Latin America via the São Paulo Forum alongside the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and proclaimed: "Today socialism is being eradicated in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and we hope that in October it will be in Brazil."
Also present at the convention were the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, and the president of PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, who praised Jair Bolsonaro as the "greatest leader he has ever seen" in his life.
Flávio promised that, if he wins the elections, his father will "walk up the ramp of the Palácio do Planalto" alongside him in January 2027 for the inauguration ceremony, and he concluded his speech with a declaration of intent: "With that purpose in mind, I take on today, before God and all of you, the mission of being a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic."
Polls indicate that Lula has a slight advantage heading into the October elections: according to a Reuters survey from July 24, the president would win a potential runoff by 48% to 43%, although earlier measurements recorded technical ties and even a temporary advantage for the Bolsonaro-aligned candidate.
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