Flavio Bolsonaro to launch Brazil presidential candidacy

Battered by a string of political crises, Flavio Bolsonaro will today formally launch his candidacy for Brazil's October presidential election, seeking to follow in the footsteps of his father, Jair Bolsonaro.

Far-right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro anointed his eldest son as his successor after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup in response to his defeat by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil's 2022 election.

The Liberal Party (PL) will officially name senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, as its candidate at a convention in Sao Paulo, with Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei as a guest of honor.

Flavio Bolsonaro is promising change: he wants to "free" Brazil of crime, inflation, high taxes and Mr Lula, who is seeking a fourth term in office.

"We are on a plane without a pilot," he said last week.

The senator was neck-and-neck with Mr Lula in the polls until he was hit by a series of scandals: ties to a disgraced banker, a family feud, and new tariffs from ally US President Donald Trump.

Pollster Datafolha published a survey yesterday showing that in a runoff election Mr Lula would win 48 percent of votes to Flavio Bolsonaro's 43 percent.

"It is a moment of weakening for Flavio...there is uncertainty over the viability of his candidacy because rejection of him has increased," said Marco Teixeira, a political science professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

A wave of scandals

Flavio Bolsonaro’s troubles began in May when an audio recording leaked of him asking banker Daniel Vorcaro - accused in a multi-million dollar fraud case - to finance a film about his father.

He had denied any contact with Mr Vorcaro and, just hours before the recording was published, told a reporter that the accusation was "a lie". He now maintains their relationship was limited to the movie.

On Thursday, a Supreme Court justice ordered an investigation into the financing of the film.

A second crisis hit Flavio Bolsonaro’s campaign when his stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro, posted an Instagram video saying he had "disrespected me and mistreated me ... he said I didn't understand anything about politics".

The former first lady is key to the right-wing movement's appeal among Brazil's large female and evangelical electorate.

With divisions growing, Flavio Bolsonaro read out a letter on social media from Jair Bolsonaro urging unity - contravening the terms of his father's house arrest.

A Supreme Court justice then blocked Flavio Bolsonaro from visiting his father until after the first round of voting.

In a bid to unite the right before the convention, Flavio Bolsonaro this week posted a video apologising to Michelle Bolsonaro, who quickly accepted the gesture of reconciliation.

Flavio Bolsonaro has cast himself as the more moderate version of his father, but is a hardliner on crime and this week echoed his father in raising debunked concerns about Brazil's electronic voting system.

The senator has struggled to seal alliances with Brazil's influential centrist bloc, with key parties announcing they will remain neutral in the 4 October election.

Tariff troubles

Flavio Bolsonaro has also faced backlash after Mr Trump's administration imposed two new sets of tariffs on Brazil this month.

The Bolsonaro family last year backed tariffs on Brazil introduced in retaliation for the trial against the former president - an ally of Mr Trump.

These duties were partly reversed after talks between Brasilia and Washington.

Flavio Bolsonaro unsuccessfully urged the Trump administration to "postpone" new tariffs until after the election so as not to hand Mr Lula a "political victory".

Mr Lula has made tensions with the United States a central campaign issue and has accused his rival of being a "traitor" and putting political interests above economic interests.