São Paulo/The Liberal Party of Brazil (PL), led by imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, made official this Saturday the candidacy of his eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, for the October presidential elections.
“Flávio was chosen by his father to continue the project that already worked. You are the candidate on behalf of the country and millions of Brazilians. May God illuminate your path,” said the president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, during the proclamation ceremony.
The event was held in a venue located inside the Pacaembu football stadium, in São Paulo, and the participation of the Argentine president, Javier Milei, was scheduled.
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, will thus succeed his father, disqualified, convicted and in house arrest for “leading a coup plot” after losing the 2022 elections against the current ruler, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will run for re-election at 80 years old.
“I trust in your ability to carry forward the work of Jair Bolsonaro,” said Carlos Bolsonaro, former councilor of Rio de Janeiro.
Before praising the figure of Flávio, Costa Neto remembered his father, whom he defined as the greatest leader he has ever seen. Likewise, he stated that it is an honor to receive Milei, whom he set as an example for the Brazilian candidate.
“It is a joy to see what he is doing for the Argentine people,” by returning “confidence and prosperity” to the country, said the leader.
During the ceremony, Flávio Bolsonaro, dressed in a dark suit and a white shirt without a tie, listened excitedly to the video-recorded messages from his brothers Eduardo and Carlos. Eduardo Bolsonaro is in self-exile in the United States, considering himself the victim of judicial “persecution.”
“I trust in your ability to carry Jair Bolsonaro’s work forward,” said Carlos Bolsonaro, former councilor of Rio de Janeiro, while Flávio dried his tears with a handkerchief, drank water and held the hand of his wife, Fernanda Bolsonaro.
The senator surpassed Lula months ago, but has lost strength in recent weeks, after the exchange of attacks with his stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro
The convention, held before hundreds of militants, was also attended by senators, deputies and governors aligned with Bolsonarism.
This year’s elections are presented as a new head-to-head between the left championed by Lula, top leader of the Workers’ Party (PT), and the right now embodied by Flávio Bolsonaro. According to the polls, Lula has a certain advantage over Jair Bolsonaro’s first-born son.
The senator surpassed Lula months ago, but has lost strength in recent weeks, after the exchange of attacks with his stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro, with whom he has signed a truce, and after his connection with a banker imprisoned for a million-dollar fraud in the financial system became known.
The latest survey by the Datafolha firm, released on Friday, placed Lula with 48% of support, compared to the 43% that Flávio Bolsonaro would obtain in a possible second round.
