SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, said Friday that his father decided he should represent their political group and run for president in 2026.
Bolsonaro was arrested last month and began serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of attempting a coup. The far right leader has already been barred from running for office until 2030 as part of a separate process against him.
“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,” Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on X.
The office of Sen. Bolsonaro confirmed to The Associated Press that he will challenge President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth nonconsecutive term, as the candidate of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party. The office also said Flávio Bolsonaro visited his father in prison on Tuesday.
Flávio Bolsonaro was elected senator in 2018 for an eight-year term, following a career as a state legislator in Rio de Janeiro. The politician was at the center of allegations of embezzlement of public funds involving the family’s political offices. Prosecutors charged him, but the case was dismissed by the courts. The senator has denied any wrongdoing.
Many politicians in Brazil viewed Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas, a former member of Jair Bolsonaro’s cabinet, as the natural successor. However, he faced resistance from Bolsonaro’s inner circle, which has also considered his son, Flávio Bolsonaro, as a presidential option.
Opinion polls have shown that Bolsonaro remains central to Brazil’s polarized landscape. Even behind bars, he could determine who carries his coalition’s flag into the 2026 election. Observers say that to become a competitive contender against Lula, any opposition candidate must first secure the crucial electoral base and explicit support of far-right leader Bolsonaro.
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