SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is expected to be confirmed as the presidential candidate of his father’s Liberal Party on Saturday in his bid against incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as his campaign faces many headwinds.The 45-year-old Sen. Bolsonaro still seeks a running mate and does not enjoy the support of centrist parties as his father did. Even his popular stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro, is not expected to join him at the Arena Mercado Livre Pacaembu in Sao Paulo after they recently exchanged barbs.The elder Bolsonaro brother will have as a highlight the attendance of Argentina’s President Javier Milei and the promised endorsement of several members of the U.S. President Donald Trump administration. But most notable damage to his campaign will be noted in those absent rather than present.
He has so far failed to recruit a high-profile female running mate after attempts to lure former Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina. Her Popular Party, which has a stronghold in Congress and was key for Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, was expected to not present a presidential candidate, but distancing itself from Sen. Bolsonaro has been surprising.Flávio Bolsonaro “has faced a problem each week, sometimes two problems,” said political consultant Thomas Traumann, based in Rio de Janeiro. “This convention might be the moment in which he says what he thinks, what he intends to do as president. So far, he has been on the defensive, saying the campaign only starts in August.”Lula’s Workers’ Party will confirm the 80-year-old’s reelection bid in a convention on Aug. 2, also in Sao Paulo, one of the key battlegrounds of October’s vote.
