The STF (Supreme Federal Court) is one step away from placing former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in a closed prison regime, after rejecting, this Friday (7), appeals presented by his defense. There is only one last appeal stage left, which, however, does not have the power to change the already imposed sentence of 27 years in prison.
Doubts persist about whether in a penitentiary, at home, at the Federal Police headquarters or in a barracks. However, the most relevant uncertainty concerns the fate of his political legacy. Bolsonaro, or anyone who bears his surname, has proven incapable of uniting and coordinating what many consider to be the majority of the Brazilian electoral spectrum, the center-right.
What was already emerging as a difficult situation, due to his ineligibility — prior to his conviction for an attempted coup d’état — has now become practically unsustainable. The big question becomes who could become his political heir and, more than that, in which direction and under what flag the currents that call themselves center and right will march.
These groups were further divided around topics such as a possible amnesty, the so-called “tariff” and the supposed aid from . Internal disputes within Bolsonarism itself have caused significant damage in traditional right-wing bastions, such as Santa Catarina, due to the choice of candidates for the Senate.
Despite the internal crises, no one who follows national politics doubts the relative weight of the Bolsonarist electorate. However, the disunity between right-wing forces is today highlighted by their main leaders as the biggest electoral problem — even surpassing concerns about the .
Thus, the STF, by confirming the former president’s conviction, ends up forcing the Brazilian right to face an inevitable question: how to reorganize and unite politically — now, without Bolsonaro.
