Brazil’s jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro has chosen his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, to lead the country’s conservative movement, a decision that immediately alters the landscape ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
Flavio, 44, announced on Friday that he would assume his father’s political mantle, calling it a "mission" to carry forward the national project that Jair Bolsonaro had championed.
His statement 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 the ruling and seeking a legislative pardon.
The former leader is also facing significant health challenges, including complications from a 2018 stabbing and a recent skin cancer diagnosis.
The move signals a formal passing of the political torch within one of Latin America’s most influential right-wing movements.
But Flavio will have to contend not only with rival conservative figures but also with the possibility that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, now 80, may 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, posting an image of him kissing his father’s head.
"I will not stand idle while families lose hope and democracy is crumbling."
Flavio, a senator for Rio de Janeiro, is known for his hard-line law-and-order stance.
He previously urged the United States to bomb boats in Rio de Janeiro to combat drug trafficking.
Other family members had been considered possible successors, including Jair Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle and his son Eduardo, a lawmaker with close ties to Donald Trump’s family.
Two other sons, Carlos and Jair Renan, serve as city councillors.
Markets reacted negatively to the announcement, with Brazil’s main stock index falling four percent amid expectations that a more moderate conservative figure — such as Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas — might emerge.
De Freitas, a Bolsonaro ally, has consistently denied presidential ambitions.
