Flavio Bolsonaro announced on Friday that his father, Brazil’s jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, had chosen him to head the country’s influential conservative movement ahead of elections in 2026. The senator shared on social media that he intends to continue a political legacy that has significantly shaped Brazilian politics and is positioning himself as a prominent presidential candidate, according to AFP.
Jair Bolsonaro, 70, is not expected to fight after he was given a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup and banned from holding public office. He is currently appealing the sentence and seeking legislative amnesty. The former president is also going through serious health issues, including complications from a 2018 stabbing and a recent diagnosis of skin cancer.
Flavio took the X and declared: “It is with a great sense of responsibility that I confirm Jair Messias Bolsonaro’s decision to entrust me with the mission of continuing our national project.”
He mentioned, “I will not sit idly by while families lose hope and democracy crumbles,” adding a picture of him kissing his father on the head.
Who is Flavio Bolsonaro?
Flavio Bolsonaro, 44, specializes in public policy at the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro (IUPERJ) and in business at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas.
Bolsonaro consistently supported his father, especially during the trial. He is considered a more level-headed and articulate politician compared to Eduardo and Carlos, who often take a more aggressive approach in their political messages on social media. Flavio, Jair Bolsonaro’s son from a previous marriage, has occasionally expressed disagreements with his stepmother.
He served as State Representative of Rio de Janeiro from 2003 to 2019 and secured his fourth term in the 2014 election with 160,359 votes. During his second term, he chaired the Special Committee on Family Planning. He was elected senator for Rio de Janeiro and received 4,380,418 votes in 2018.
On June 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro presented him with the Medal of the Order of Naval Merit during a ceremony for the Battle of Riachuelo at the Brasília Marine Group, located on the shores of Lake Paranoá.
He served as a member of the Rio de Janeiro state legislature from 2003 to 2019 and was affiliated with the Social Liberal Party.
Still, Michelle Bolsonaro shared a supportive message to Flavio on Instagram: “May the Lord give you wisdom, strength and grace… for the good of our nation.” Two of Bolsonaro’s other sons, Carlos and Jair Renan, serve as city councilors.
