Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro on Friday said that his father, jailed former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, has chosen him to lead the country’s powerful conservative movement, shaking up next year’s election race.
The 44-year-old senator said on social media that he will carry forward the political legacy that reshaped Brazilian politics. His announcement makes him an instant contender for the presidency.
Jair Bolsonaro, 70, is unlikely to run after being sentenced to 27 years for plotting a coup and banned from public office. He is appealing and seeking a legislative pardon.
Photo: Reuters
The former president also faces serious health issues, including complications from a 2018 stabbing and a recent skin cancer diagnosis.
Friday’s announcement signals the passing of a political torch in South America’s largest country.
Flavio is “a balanced politician, experienced and prepared for dialogue,” Liberal Party head Luciano Zucco said.
To lead Brazil, Flavio Bolsonaro would have to beat fellow conservative contenders, as well as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the 80-year-old leftist who has signaled he might seek a fourth term.
“It is with a great sense of responsibility that I confirm the decision of Jair Messias Bolsonaro to entrust me with the mission of continuing our national project,” Flavio wrote on X. “I will not stand idle while families lose hope and democracy is crumbling.”
Flavio is seen as hard line on law-and-order issues. He has urged the US to bomb boats in Rio de Janeiro to fight drug trafficking.
Jair Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, and his other son, Eduardo, a lawmaker who has close ties to US President Donald Trump’s family, had been tipped as possible political successors.
The two appeared to acknowledge Flavio as the movement’s new leader.
Flavio is the son from Jair Bolsonaro’s previous marriage, and has occasionally expressed disagreements with his stepmother, but Michelle offered a warm message to Flavio on Instagram, saying: “May the Lord give you wisdom, strength and grace... for the good of our nation.”
Two other Bolsonaro sons, Carlos and Jair Renan, are city councilors.
“Flavio told me our captain [Jair Bolsonaro] confirmed his pre-candidacy. If Bolsonaro said so, that’s all there is to it!” Liberal Party president Valdemar Costa Neto said.
Flavio Bolsonaro remained a loyal supporter of his father, especially during the trial. He is seen as a more articulate and measured politician than Eduardo and Carlos, who tend to adopt more aggressive tones in their political messaging on social media.
A ship that appears to be taking on the identity of a scrapped gas carrier exited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, showing how strategies to get through the waterway are evolving as the Middle East war progresses. The vessel identifying as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Jamal left the Strait on Friday morning, ship-tracking data show. However, the same tanker was also recorded as having beached at an Indian demolition yard in October last year, where it is being broken up, according to market participants and port agent’s reports. The ship claiming to be Jamal is likely a zombie vessel that
Cannabis-based medicines have shown little evidence of effectiveness for treating most mental health and substance-use disorders, according to a large review of past studies published in a major medical journal on Monday. Medical use of cannabinoids has been expanding, including in the US, Canada and Australia, where many patients report using cannabis products to manage conditions such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep problems. Researchers reviewed data from 54 randomized clinical trials conducted between 1980 and May last year involving 2,477 participants for their analysis published in The Lancet. The studies assessed cannabinoids as a primary treatment for mental disorders or substance-use
NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT: US President Donald Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, strangling the Caribbean island’s already antiquated grid Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed on Monday, the nation’s grid operator said, leaving about 10 million people without power amid a US-imposed oil blockade that has crippled the already obsolete generation system. Grid operator UNE on social media said that it is investigating the causes of the blackout, the latest in a series of widespread outages that last for hours or days and that this weekend sparked a rare violent protest in the communist-run nation. Officials ruled out a major power plant failure, but had still not pinpointed the root cause of the grid collapse, suggesting a problem with transmission. Officials said that
‘HEALTH ISSUE’: More than 250 women are hospitalized every day due to complications from unsafe abortions, and about three die, a study showed Jane had been bleeding heavily for days before finally seeking help, not from a hospital, but from the man who sold her the pills meant to end her six-week pregnancy. Abortions are strictly outlawed in the mainly Catholic Philippines, forcing women to turn to a patchwork of providers operating in the online shadows. While rare in practice, Philippine law allows for prison terms of up to six years for abortion patients and providers, leaving thousands of Filipinas to search for solutions in online forums where unlicensed sellers promote abortifacients. “It was very painful, as if my abdomen was being twisted,” said Jane, whose
RSS