Jair Bolsonaro’s arrest forced the PL to redesign its strategy for 2026. Without the former president to travel the country and mobilize the base, leaders discuss solutions ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to the production of images, montages and cardboard figures to maintain their symbolic presence in the campaign. The investigation was carried out by Folha de S. Paulo.
The possibility of using AI to generate messages of support divides the party. One wing sees technology as a way to compensate for Bolsonaro’s physical absence; another fears wear and tear and legal questions, which, ultimately, could mislead voters about the former president’s participation in campaigns.
Meanwhile, allies are already resorting to digital montages and panels with the former president’s image at events, such as the vigil called by Flávio Bolsonaro. The internal assessment is that the lack of the main right-wing electoral leader should harm candidates more dependent on the ideological vote.
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The PL also discusses who can occupy part of the space left by Bolsonaro. Michelle Bolsonaro and Nikolas Ferreira are seen as names capable of mobilizing supporters, but both will be focused on their own campaigns.
The pressure for a natural successor to Bolsonaro is also growing. The center defends that the PL presents a competitive name for the 2026 presidential race this year.
Among the possibilities, allies see Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP) as the figure with the greatest potential to attract the Bolsonaro voter without carrying the rejection associated with the Bolsonaro family. Flávio, in turn, still faces resistance from part of the electorate.
While the former president is serving his sentence at the Federal Police Superintendency in Brasília, the PL is trying to reorganize its narrative and find a path that maintains its political relevance without depending exclusively on Bolsonaro’s physical presence, a task that, for many within the party, will be the party’s biggest test since its rise to national protagonism.
