Flávio Bolsonaro, 44, says he’s a more measured version of his father: “I’m the Bolsonaro you always wanted.”
April 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDTToday at 5:00 a.m. EDT
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, right, and his oldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, launch the ultimately short-lived Alliance for Brazil party in Brasília in 2019. (Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty Images)
BRASÍLIA — For weeks, Jair Bolsonaro’s closest advisers had proposed alternatives.
The former president of Brazil, serving 27 years in prison for attempting a coup after his 2022 election loss, was looking for a successor to lead the populist movement he created into this year’s presidential contest.
