Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) is working to build a more moderate image as a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, in an attempt to expand his electoral reach beyond the Bolsonaro base. The analysis of the parliamentarian’s recent movements is by Pedro Venceslau in CNN 360º.
The son of former president Jair Bolsonaro understood that he needs to tone down his speech to have any chance in next year’s elections. “He realized that if he doesn’t make this move, the chance, which is already small, will become zero chance,” explained Venceslau, remembering that when the possibility of his candidacy arose, with the rise in the dollar and the fall in the stock market.
In an interview with Folha de São Paulo, Flávio categorically stated that he will be “a moderate version of Jair Bolsonaro” and that his . The senator also declared that he will not give up his presidential claim in favor of , another name considered to represent the conservative camp in 2026.
Strategies to expand the electorate
Among attempts to soften his image, Flávio admitted in interviews that he had been vaccinated against Covid-19, unlike his father, who maintained a skeptical stance towards vaccines during the pandemic.
The political analyst highlighted that this is a way to remove the “denier’s taint”, considering that the stance against vaccines was one of the factors that contributed to Jair Bolsonaro’s defeat in 2022.
Another surprising move was the signaling that he could choose one, a term that, according to Venceslau, “is a bad word for Bolsonaristas”. This strategy aims to project the senator beyond the traditional base of Bolsonarism.
According to the CNN analyst, the PL has already guaranteed that it will provide all the necessary structure for a . Although he lost the party inserts that were on display at the time of his pre-candidacy announcement, the senator should be the star of the party’s next commercials, scheduled for May next year.
