Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has nominated his eldest son as the right-wing party's candidate for next year’s presidential elections. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro said he will run for President in 2026.
Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of Brazil's jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro, said his father has elected him to lead his far-right Liberal party since Jair Bolsonaro himself is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup against the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In a post on X, Bolsonaro's eldest son wrote, "It is with great responsibility that I confirm the decision of Brazil's greatest political and moral leader, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, to entrust me with the mission of continuing our national project.”
He was elected to Brazil’s Senate in 2018 for an eight-year term, having previously served as a state legislator in Rio de Janeiro.
He is viewed as one of the hard-line figures when it comes to law and order matters. He has previously requested the US to carry out strikes in Rio de Janeiro to combat drug trafficking.
His latest social media post read, “I will not stand idle while families lose hope and democracy is crumbling."
He was previously accused of embezzling public funds tied to his family’s political offices; however, the court later dismissed the charges, citing a lack of evidence.
He was proven innocent despite strong arguments presented against him in court throughout.
He will now challenge Brazil’s current president, Lula, in next year’s elections, though prospects of him succeeding appear marginally thin, as Lula remains a very popular leader in the country.
"Flavio told me our captain [Jair Bolsonaro] confirmed his pre-candidacy. If Bolsonaro said so, that's all there is to it!" Liberal Party president Valdemar Costa Neto said.
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