Former minister and current senator for the Federal District Damares Alves (Republicans) says she can be the right-wing alternative in the 2026 presidential election if former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) becomes ineligible in the processes to which he responds in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
The statement was made in an interview with the newspaper O Globo published on Tuesday (28).
Although she still considers Bolsonaro the natural leader of the opposition in the country, the senator puts herself at the disposal of the right-wing parties for the succession, along with other names she considers feasible for the dispute.
“There’s me. Don’t forget me; I’m good.”
“We have a lot of good people on the right, (Senator Rogério) Marinho, who is extremely discreet but was a great minister; he did his job.”
“There is (Hamilton) Mourão, Tarcísio (Freitas), (Romeu) Zema; we have many good people on the right.”
“Now, our leader is still Bolsonaro. If he becomes ineligible, this conversation will certainly take place, and we will choose who has the best chance,” she said in the interview.
However, Damares believes there is no possibility of Michelle Bolsonaro running for president, as suggested behind the scenes.
She says that the former first lady “doesn’t want to run, doesn’t talk about it,” and her goal is to help strengthen the right and “break the record of women affiliated to the party.”
According to the senator, Bolsonaro was right to travel to the United States at the end of last year to “rest, to get back on his feet”, even because of the “legal insecurity” surrounding the country in those days.
The former president scheduled his return to Brazil this Thursday (30).
“He did well to leave to get back together, to come back strong, gather the team, lead.”
“Bolsonaro is our natural leader, the leader of the right; he is my leader.”
“He will come back very well. He’s smiling, he’s happy, he’s eating,” the senator added.
With information from Gazeta do Povo