According to Reuters, on July 25 local time, Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and a federal senator, was officially nominated as the Liberal Party’s presidential candidate. He will challenge the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in the October elections this year.
On that day, at the National Party Congress in São Paulo, Flavio promised that once elected, he would promote tax cuts and privatization, reduce the size of the government, and implement stricter policing policies. He previously proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 years old, and building new prisons with the highest security standards, modeled after the Salvadoran system.
Flavio, facing supporters waving Brazilian flags, said emotionally, "I have the blood of Bosonaro in me." He emphasized that he would inherit his father's political legacy and continue to defend conservative values.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also delivered a video speech to the conference. Jerô Borsoenaro, who is serving time in prison and currently living under house arrest, supported his son using information generated by artificial intelligence. Michelle, the former First Lady of Brazil and Borsoenaro’s stepmother, also expressed in the video: “Flavio, may God bless and protect your campaign.”
Reuters
Michelle has a strong influence among Evangelical voters in Brazil. She previously publicly criticized Flavio for being " disrespectful" to her, and the two argued over video messages on social media. After Flavio publicly apologized this week, Michelle accepted his apology and re-endorsed him, but did not attend the nomination ceremony in person.
Argentina President Millet also attended and expressed his support. On that day, he delivered a highly dramatic speech, criticizing Lula and claiming that Flavio could 'save' Brazil from socialism. 'We will continue to expose the lies of socialism everywhere.'
Brazilian former president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for planning a coup after being defeated by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 2022 elections. After that, he appointed his eldest son, Flavio, as his political successor.
According to AFP, the campaign is currently led by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump is an ally of the Bozo Nardo family, and he has just imposed two rounds of punitive tariffs on Brazil on the grounds of unfair trade practices. As a key figure in the rise of Latin American right-wing forces, Mille gave a passionate speech in October, warning of a 'Lula risk' for Brazil and emphasizing that Brazil must move away from 'dependence on the left.'
Favio Bolsono has had a strong start in the election campaign, and was once tied with his opponent. However, in recent weeks, due to a series of scandals, his support rate has declined. According to a poll released by the Datafolha research institute on Friday, Lula has a support rate of 48%, while Bolsono's support rate is 43%.
On July 25th, the American newspaper The Washington Post reported that Brazil had refused to issue visas to two senior U.S. State Department officials, as the Trump administration planned to send these two American officials to Brazil in order to question the fairness and integrity of Brazil's electoral system.
On the same day, two Brazilian officials confirmed the above report to the British newspaper Reuters. They revealed that Brazil denied visa applications from the American delegation on the 24th, excluding the applications for visas of Riley Barnes, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor affairs, and Samuel Samson, deputy assistant secretary of state, from the United States Department of State.
On the 25th local time, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula said during a meeting of the Labor Party in São Paulo state, “Anyone who attempts to interfere in Brazil’s elections from outside will pay a heavy price.” Lula stated that Brazil is a sovereign nation, and the fate of the country shall be determined by all its citizens. No external forces should intervene.
