Flavio Bolsonaro Wins in Brazil Presidential Election

Britannica

Flavio Bolsonaro.

The son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was banned from public office and is under house arrest and serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup following his defeat in the 2022 election, won Brazil's elections on Sunday.

The 71-year-old watched from confinement as his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, secured an upset first-round victory over leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Candidates from Bolsonaro’s right-wing Liberal Party also performed strongly across the ballot, highlighting the growing support for the political movement. The party’s strengthened position could allow a new right-wing Congress to address Bolsonaro’s legal status when it takes office in January.

Alongside Flavio’s surprise success, four other members of the Bolsonaro family won public office on Sunday. The former president’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, and his second son, Carlos Bolsonaro, secured Senate seats, while his brother Renato and youngest son, Jair Renan, were elected to the lower house.

When the former president chose his son to run for Brazil’s highest office in December, markets fell and centre-right allies distanced themselves from the ticket. Flavio selected little-known lawmaker Alfredo Gaspar, also of the Liberal Party, as his running mate after failing to secure the backing of another major party.

Flavio’s most important political ally was unable to campaign publicly, including virtually, but remained a prominent figure in the race. An AI-generated avatar of Jair Bolsonaro delivered a controversial endorsement of his son at the launch of his campaign.

The former president has been under house arrest since March, after initially serving his sentence in prison. His transfer was attributed to health problems, including complications stemming from a stabbing in 2018. The Supreme Court has also barred visits from his eldest son for the past three months.

The Liberal Party nearly doubled its representation in Brazil’s 81-seat Senate on Sunday, securing 28 seats — its strongest result for a party since the country adopted its current constitution in the 1980s following its return to democracy.

Bolsonaro and Lula received 47% and 45% of Sunday’s vote, respectively, and will face each other in a second-round ballot. Political consultancy Think Policy described Lula’s chances of winning as “very difficult, but not impossible”.

Source: Reuters



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