Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro released a handwritten letter on Thursday confirming that he was backing one of his sons for the 2026 presidential race.
Bolsonaro is in prison after being convicted by the Supreme Court of attempting to carry out a coup following his electoral defeat in 2022. Unable to run himself, he has entrusted his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, with the mission of taking on the leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The decision to keep the leadership of Brazil's conservative movement within the family had been announced earlier this month but centrist parties and investors were still hoping that the former right-wing leader might change his mind and back Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who's seen as more market-friendly.
“In the face of this scenario of injustice, and with the commitment not to allow the popular will to be silenced, I make the decision to designate Flavio Bolsonaro as a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic in 2026,” according to the letter signed by Bolsonaro. “I hand over what is most important in a father's life: His own son, for the mission of rescuing our Brazil.”
The letter was read by Flavio in front of the hospital in Brasilia where Bolsonaro underwent another surgery on Thursday to repair hernia, a consequence of the stabbing to the abdomen he suffered during the 2018 presidential campaign. The procedure ended after around four hours and was carried out without complications, according to a post by former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro on social media.
In the letter distributed to journalists by Flavio, Bolsonaro said that the decision to nominate his son is “conscious, legitimate and supported by the desire to preserve the representation of those who trusted in me.”
Since early December, when he announced his father's decision, Flavio has stepped up talks with politicians and investors in an effort to win over those resisting his campaign.
Flavio said the release of the letter changes nothing in his electoral plans but added that it may convince those who still had doubts about the former president's choice.
“For me, nothing changes. For some people who still didn't believe it, it might,” he said as he read the letter.
