Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was confirmed on Saturday as the presidential candidate of his father’s Liberal Party, setting up a challenge against incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in October’s election.
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“Bolsonaro’s blood flows here,” he said at the party convention in São Paulo, as he paid tribute to his father, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after his 2022 election defeat.
The younger Bolsonaro faces a difficult campaign, with no running mate yet chosen and limited support from centrist parties that helped his father win in 2018. Several key figures were absent from the convention, including his stepmother Michelle Bolsonaro, a prominent voice among evangelical voters.
Flávio Bolsonaro received backing from Argentine President Javier Milei and a message of support from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while he seeks further endorsements from allies of US President Donald Trump.
His campaign has already suffered setbacks, including criticism over his request for funds from a jailed banker to finance a film about his father and backlash after seeking US support as Washington imposed higher tariffs on Brazilian exports.
Jair Bolsonaro appeared at the event through an AI-generated video, as he remains under house arrest and barred from public statements.
Flávio Bolsonaro accused Lula and Brazil’s Supreme Court of targeting his family, presenting the election as a battle over the country’s future. Lula’s Workers’ Party is expected to formally confirm the 80-year-old president’s re-election bid on August 2.
