Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) sought this Wednesday to overcome the recent discomfort with deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) during a meeting of the party bench, in Brasília. After exchanging public praise throughout the meeting, the two even had a tête-à-tête as a gesture of detente following criticism made by allies of the Bolsonaro clan to the Minas Gerais deputy, including the senator’s brother, former deputy Eduardo.
According to reports from participants, Flávio made a point of highlighting Nikolas’ presence in front of the bench and praised his political performance.
“I want to especially thank Nikolas, who is here by my side. Even with the difficulties that Juiz de Fora is facing, he made a point of being here with us today”, said the senator.
At the end of his speech, Flávio also made a gesture of caressing the parliamentarian, a movement interpreted by those present as an attempt to demonstrate internal unity after the recent noise within the party.
In turn, Nikolas told allies that nothing will separate him from Flávio. The two spoke privately and went together to a dinner with parliamentarians from the bench.
Over the weekend, Eduardo Bolsonaro stated that Nikolas would not be sufficiently committed to the presidential pre-campaign.
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Internal reorganization and other political messages
The closed-door bench meeting took place amid a process of internal reorganization of Bolsonarism and discussion about the PL’s electoral strategies for 2026, especially in disputes for the Senate — considered a priority by the party.
Right at the opening, the party president, Valdemar Costa Neto, highlighted the names that the PL intends to promote in state disputes and cited deputy Carol De Toni (SC) and councilor Carlos Bolsonaro (RJ) as candidates for the Senate. He also mentioned deputy Hélio Lopes (RJ), stating that he should compete for a seat at the Federal Audit Court (TCU).
The meeting took place without the presence of former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, who has not participated in the political agendas of her stepson, today appointed within the party as a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic. Behind the scenes, interlocutors present different versions of her absence: allies claim that Michelle has dedicated herself to caring for former president Jair Bolsonaro during his period of imprisonment, while members of the party believe that she has been gradually removed from the most recent political articulations.
The senator tried to avoid any intrigue with the former first lady and even cited her as an ally on at least two occasions.
In a press conference after being announced as a pre-candidate for the Senate in Santa Catarina, Carol De Toni attributed her absence to Michelle’s visit to the former president.
“She cannot be present because she went to visit Bolsonaro,” he stated.
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During the meeting, Flávio also recognized internal resistance to the decision that consolidated his role in the party’s national articulations.
“Three months ago we were here talking and I know that there are still many looks of distrust, many questions about whether the decision made was right or wrong,” he said.
The senator also stated that his political activities would not be linked to personal ambitions:
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“I’m not in this out of personal ambition or because my father wanted me to. I believe this is God’s project.”
Senate at the center of the strategy
Leader of the opposition in the Senate, Rogério Marinho (PL-RN) told parliamentarians that the party should focus its efforts on winning the majority of seats in 2026.
“We need to elect the majority of the Senate. To reestablish Brazilian democracy, we need a proud Senate, which monitors”, he told those present.
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Behind the scenes, parliamentarians reported that the meeting aimed to reduce internal noise and align the party’s discourse in the face of disputes within the Bolsonaro camp itself.
