The candidacy of his son in 2026, senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is being prepared to officially support the recently imprisoned for a coup attempt ex-president, according to a related post by Flavio.
As the senator wrote on his X account, his father chose him for “the mission to continue our plan for the nation.”
The head of Bolsonaro’s right-wing Liberal Party, Valdemar Costa Neto, told Reuters he had been informed by the senator that the former president had “endorsed his candidacy”.
Market shock from the announcement
News of Bolsonaro’s plans weighed on the Brazilian market on Friday, with the national currency falling 2% against the dollar and the benchmark Bovespa stock index falling 3%.
Some investors had bet that Bolsonaro would back a more market-friendly figure with executive experience, such as Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, his former minister, to face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva next year.
According to Reuters, the former president’s decision, if confirmed, could “destroy” ties between the right-wing movement he founded and more centrist parties, according to Garantia Capital economist Andre Perfeito. “The market was betting that Tarcisio would build these alliances and pave the way for a right-wing victory in 2026. Now we need to assess whether Flavio Bolsonaro can unite this broad political support,” he wrote in a note to clients.
He gave the “ring” of succession from police custody
Former President Bolsonaro has been barred from running since June 2023, when Brazil’s federal electoral court (TSE) condemned his conduct during the 2022 election.
In September, the former president was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for conspiracy against the government after his defeat by Lula in the 2022 presidential election.
CNN Brasil first reported, citing unnamed sources, that the right-wing leader offered his support to his eldest son during his visit to the federal police headquarters in Brasilia, where he is serving his sentence.
