Flávio Bolsonaro

Flávio Bolsonaro

Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈflavju bowsoˈnaɾu]; born 30 April 1981) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician serving as a senator for Rio de Janeiro since 2019. A son of the 38th president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, he is affiliated with the Liberal Party (PL). He previously served as a state deputy of Rio de Janeiro from 2003 to 2019.

As a state legislator, Bolsonaro held the presidency of the Special Committee on Family Planning. His political career culminated in his election to the senate in 2018, where he garnered 4.38 million votes. Like his father, his political career has been marked by controversial statements. Bolsonaro is the PL candidate in the 2026 Brazilian presidential election with the endorsement of his father.

His political career has been closely associated with his father and has included controversial positions on Brazil's military dictatorship, criminal justice, and the death penalty, as well as involvement in the Rachadinhas corruption investigation. His campaign has emphasized public security, while his political activities have also attracted controversy over alleged connections to the Banco Master scandal and financing of the film Dark Horse.

Early life and education

Flávio Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro was born in Resende, Rio de Janeiro, at the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras, to Jair Bolsonaro and Rogéria Nantes Braga. He graduated from Candido Mendes University with a bachelor of laws degree. During his time at university, he was also officially employed in a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position at the leadership office of the PPB party in the Chamber of Deputies in Brasília. Reporting by BBC Brasil later highlighted a conflict between his official employment in Brasília and his simultaneous in-person attendance at law school and at a volunteer internship at the Public Defender's Office in Rio de Janeiro. He holds specializations in public policy from the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro and in entrepreneurship from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation.

Political career

State legislator (2003–2019)

Bolsonaro was elected to his first term in the 2002 Brazilian general election. He was re-elected as a state legislator in 2006, 2010, and in his last candidacy, in 2014, for the 2015–2019 period. In April 2015, he voted in favor of the appointment of Domingos Brazão to the Rio de Janeiro State Court of Accounts. Brazão would later be accused of being behind the assassination of Marielle Franco.

On April 12, 2016, Bolsonaro and his bodyguard, who is also a military police officer, exchanged gunfire with two robbers who were holding up a car ahead of them in Rio de Janeiro's West Zone. One of the assailants was injured and fled on a motorcycle. Like other members of the Bolsonaro family, he opposes what he calls "the media exploitation of human rights enforcement for the benefit of crime and criminals."

In December 2018, the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo revealed that a report from the Council for Financial Activities Control (COAF) had identified an atypical movement of R$ 1.2 million in an account in the name of Fabrício Queiroz, a former aide to Bolsonaro. This marked the beginning of the "rachadinhas case" and led the Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor's Office to open an investigation that lasted two years. The probe resulted in charges for the crimes of fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, and criminal organization being filed against Bolsonaro, Queiroz, and 15 other individuals involved.

In 2021, the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) annulled the previous rulings on the case involving Queiroz and Bolsonaro. The evidence obtained by breaking the banking, tax, and telephone secrecy of the investigated parties—which had been used to support the Public Prosecutor's charges—was invalidated.

Candidacy for Mayor of Rio de Janeiro (2016)

Bolsonaro in 2014

On July 23, at the Social Christian Party (PSC) convention held at the Bangu Atlético Clube, Bolsonaro officially launched his candidacy for mayor of Rio de Janeiro. The event was attended by the party's national president, Pastor Everaldo, and his father, Congressman Jair Bolsonaro. In his speech, he stated, "Our candidacy is a protest against everything that exists today. Governing is about setting priorities. And the big question is what Rio de Janeiro will be like after the Olympics. Only an independent person, outside this corrupt old political scheme, will have the freedom to make real changes."

In the 2016 elections, he ran for mayor of Rio de Janeiro and finished in 4th place with 424,307 votes, representing 14% of the valid votes. He did not advance to the runoff, contested by Marcelo Crivella (PRB) and Marcelo Freixo (PSOL), but finished ahead of candidates such as congressmen Indio da Costa (PSD), Jandira Feghali (PCdoB), and Alessandro Molon (REDE), among four others. Despite the defeat, he succeeded in getting his brother, Carlos Bolsonaro, elected as the most voted city councilor in Rio de Janeiro. During the first mayoral debate hosted by Band, he fell ill and had to leave the event in the second segment. He reportedly refused medical assistance offered by then-Congresswoman Jandira Feghali.

In an April 2011 interview, while defending his father's positions, he argued they promoted "family" values and ethical principles. That same month, in an interview with O Estado de S. Paulo, he defended the Brazilian military dictatorship, claiming, "Back then there was security, quality healthcare and education, there was respect. Today, what rights do people have? Just to vote. And they still vote poorly." Additionally, Bolsonaro supports the death penalty for heinous crimes and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.

Senator for Rio de Janeiro (2019–present)

Bolsonaro giving an interview as a newly elected senator in 2018

In the 2018 elections, Bolsonaro ran for Senator from the state of Rio de Janeiro for the Social Liberal Party (PSL). The then state legislator's candidacy was announced at the PSL's national convention, held on July 22, 2018, in a convention center in Rio de Janeiro. At the same event, the Jair Bolsonaro 2018 presidential campaign was formalized.

In the election, Bolsonaro received 4,380,418 votes (31.36% of the total valid votes), being elected for the 56th legislature (2019–2027) of the Brazilian Federal Senate. On February 6, 2019, he was elected 3rd Secretary of the Senate's Board of Directors. On June 11, 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro awarded him the medal of the Order of Naval Merit during a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Riachuelo at the Brasília Marine Corps Group, located on the shores of Lake Paranoá.

2026 presidential campaign

Flávio Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro with Argentinian president Javier Milei in June 2026

On December 5, 2025, Bolsonaro publicly announced his candidacy for president in the 2026 Brazilian general election, stating he had received the nomination from his father during a visit to the prison where the latter is being held at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília. In a statement released on his social media, the senator declared: "It is with great responsibility that I confirm the decision of Brazil's greatest political and moral leader, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, to entrust me with the mission of continuing our national project."

The decision was communicated beforehand to the Liberal Party (PL) and the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, who until then was the main candidate expected to be Jair Bolsonaro's choice in the elections, signaling that he would run for the presidency while Tarcísio is likely to focus on reelection. The announcement generated positive reactions among his allies, including federal congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL), who expressed support for his brother, and the national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, who endorsed the choice.

Bolsonaro with President Donald Trump In May 2026.

Bolsonaro's candidacy is supported internationally by President of Argentina Javier Milei, the President of Colombia Abelardo de la Espriella, and President of the United States of America Donald Trump.

His campaign placed particular emphasis on public security and crime policy. He was one of the two leading candidates going into the first round of voting on 4 October. Shortly before the final debate hosted by TV Globo, he withdrew from it, citing a decision by a justice of the Superior Electoral Court that prohibited the placement of an empty lectern bearing Lula’s name.

Bolsonaro won a plurality of 47% of the vote over incumbent president Lula da Silva's 45% in the election on 4 October. They will both contest a runoff vote scheduled on 25 October.

Electoral history

Flávio Bolsonaro

Year	Election	Party		Office	Coalition	Partners	Party		Votes	Percent	Result
2002	State Elections of Rio de Janeiro		PP	State Deputy	—N/a				31,293	0.39%	Elected
2006	State Elections of Rio de Janeiro				—N/a				43,099	0.53%	Elected
2010	State Elections of Rio de Janeiro				—N/a				58,322	0.78%	Elected
2014	State Elections of Rio de Janeiro				—N/a				160,359	2.07%	Elected
2016	Municipal Election of Rio de Janeiro		PSC	Mayor	Rio Needs Strength to Change (PSC, PRP)	Rodrigo Amorim		PRP	424,307	14.00%	Not elected
2018	State Elections of Rio de Janeiro		PSL	Senator	—N/a	Paulo Marinho		PSL	4,380,418	31.36%	Elected
						Leonardo Rodrigues		PSL
2026	Presidential Election		PL	President	—N/a	Alfredo Gaspar		PL	—N/a		Runoff