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Flávio Bolsonaro
Brazilian politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro (born 30 April 1981) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician, affiliated with the Liberal Party (PL) and currently a Senator for Rio de Janeiro.[1]
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A son of former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro and Rogéria Nantes Nunes Braga, Flávio Bolsonaro was born in Resende, Rio de Janeiro, at the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras.[2] He holds specializations in public policy from the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro (IUPERJ) and in entrepreneurship from the Fundação Getúlio Vargas.[3]. Flavio Bolsonaro is married to Fernanda Antunes Figueira. Together they have two daughters.
Flávio Bolsonaro served as a State Deputy of Rio de Janeiro from 2003 to 2019. During his tenure, he was elected to a fourth term in 2014, securing 160,359 votes.[2] Earlier, in his second term, he held the presidency of the Special Committee on Family Planning.[4] His political career culminated in his election to the Senate in 2018, where he garnered 4,380,418 votes.[5] Like his father, his political career has been marked by controversial statements.[6][7][8]
On December 2025, Bolsonaro announced his candidacy for the 2026 Brazilian presidencial election, with the endorsement of his father.[9]
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Political career
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State Deputy (2003–2019)
He was elected to his first term in the 2002 elections. He was re-elected as a state deputy in 2006, 2010, and in his last candidacy, in 2014, for the term from 2015 to 2019. In April 2015, he voted in favor of the appointment of Domingos Brazão to the Rio de Janeiro State Court of Accounts, an appointment that was heavily criticized at the time.[10] Brazão would later be accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of Marielle Franco.[11]
On April 12, 2016, Flávio 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.[12] One of the assailants was injured and fled on a motorcycle. Like other members of the Bolsonaro family, Flávio opposes what he calls "the media exploitation of human rights enforcement for the benefit of crime and criminals."[2]
Rachadinhas case
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 Flávio Bolsonaro.[13] This marked the beginning of the so-called "rachadinhas case" 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 Flávio, Queiroz, and 15 other individuals involved.[13]
In 2021, the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) annulled the previous rulings on the case involving Queiroz and Flávio 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.[13]
Candidacy for Mayor of Rio de Janeiro (2016)
On July 23, at the Social Christian Party (PSC) convention held at the Bangu Atlético Clube, Flávio 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, Flávio 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 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 federal 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.[14]
Like his father, Flávio Bolsonaro is known for controversial stances. In an April 2011 interview, while defending his father's positions, he argued they promoted "family" values and ethical principles.[15] 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."[16] He also stated there had been no dictatorship, characterizing the period as "a transition to democracy."[17] Additionally, Flávio Bolsonaro supports the death penalty and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.[2]
Senator for Rio de Janeiro (2019–present)
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In the 2018 elections, Flávio Bolsonaro ran for Senator from the state of Rio de Janeiro for the Social Liberal Party (PSL). The then state deputy'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, Jair Bolsonaro's candidacy for President of the Republic was formalized.[18] In the election, Flávio received 4,380,418 votes (31.36% of the total valid votes), being elected for the 56th legislature (2019–2023) of the Brazilian Federal Senate.[19] On February 6, 2019, he was elected 3rd Secretary of the Senate's Board of Directors.[20]
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.[21]
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Candidacy for the 2026 Brazilian presidencial election
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On December 5, 2025, Flávio Bolsonaro publicly announced his candidacy for President of the Republic in the 2026 elections, stating he had received the nomination from his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, during a visit to the prison where the latter is being held at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília.[22] 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."[23] The decision was communicated beforehand to the Liberal Party (PL) and the Governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), who until then was the main candidate expected to be Jair Bolsonaro's choice in the elections, signaling that Flávio will run for the presidency while Tarcísio is likely to focus on reelection. The announcement generated positive reactions among Bolsonarist 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.[24]
Following the announcement of his candidacy, the financial market reacted negatively. The dollar surged by over 2%, while the São Paulo Stock Exchange plummeted by 4.11%, in contrast to the all-time high it had reached just days before.[25]
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References
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