2026 ELECTIONS
Jair Bolsonaro announced his successor. Conservatives shrugged, investors freaked out

Flávio Bolsonaro says he has a price. Photo: Joédson Alves/EBC
Former President Jair Bolsonaro — now serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to overturn the 2022 election — tapped his eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, as the standard-bearer of Bolsonarism in the 2026 presidential race.
Flávio said the decision was made last Tuesday during a 30-minute visit to his father’s cell at Federal Police headquarters in Brasília, but he announced it only on Friday, telling reporters he had been chosen to “continue [his father’s] nation-building project.”
No major figures on the right endorsed the move. São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, a favorite of financial markets…

🔒 This was a free preview; the rest is behind our paywall
Don’t miss out! Upgrade to unlock full access. The process takes only seconds with Apple Pay or Stripe. Become a member.

Why you should subscribe
We’re here for readers who want to truly understand Brazil and Latin America — a region too often ignored or misrepresented by the international media.
Since 2017, our reporting has been powered by paid subscribers. They’re the reason we can keep a full-time team of journalists across Brazil and Argentina, delivering sharp, independent coverage every day.
If you value our work, subscribing is the best way to keep it going — and growing.
Interested in advertising with us? Get in touch.
Need a special report? We can do it.
Have an idea for an article or column? Pitch us











