Narratives of the “Lulist media” influenced Bolsonaro’s defeat in 2022, says Flávio Bolsonaro

The narratives created by the “Lulist media” would have been responsible for the defeat of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the 2022 presidential election in the view of Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), son of the former president and senator-elect.

According to him, the dispute also had a “differentiated treatment” of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) between his father’s campaign and that of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

The statements were given in an interview with Folha de São Paulo newspaper, published this Monday (20).

Flávio explains that the communication of his father’s campaign was insufficient to explain the narratives created by the opponent’s supporters.

“I think the narratives were created against him by the lulista media. And our communication was insufficient.”

“So one version was stronger than the other. I think our communication could have been better. Some people thought that Lula was the one giving the R$600 Brazil Aid,” he said.

Flávio sees that the TSE censored the Bolsonaro campaign from “speaking the truth about Lula, like his relationship with dictatorships”.

Recently, the president minimized the serious human rights violations committed by Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega, with Brazilian diplomacy not signing the joint declaration agreed by 55 countries against the government’s acts.

For the senator, the Lula government has not yet shown what it has come to and knows that it has in Bolsonaro an opposition leader – even if distant, still traveling in the United States.

“For me, Bolsonaro is the leader of the opposition. Today there is no one with his electoral density on the center-right side. I don’t see a vacuum here, even because Lula and the press talk about him daily,” he said.

“For me, he has to go back to his [electoral] bases and help organize the municipal elections, which are important for a possible step in 2026 of running for president again.”

“So he has to dedicate himself more and more to politics,” believes Flávio already foreseeing his father’s return for the next presidential election, without mentioning when he should return to Brazil.

Also, according to the senator, there is the fear that some attempt will be made against his father “once again” since now his security team is reduced.

Flávio ruled out any possibility of arrest or ineligibility against his father, “there is no reason for that”.

“There is a giant portion of the population that is watching [the process], then certainly, if it comes to that point [ineligibility], Bolsonaro would be the biggest electoral cable in the history of Brazil.”

“I think with much more strength even than his name being placed. Because Brazilians have this thing of showing solidarity with those who have suffered an injustice,” he says.

MICHELLE’S POLITICAL FUTURE

On the other hand, Flávio sees in Michelle a “great potential” to get elected to any position she wishes to run for, but not the presidency, as has been speculated.

“Now, it is up to her to say about her future in politics. I think she has great potential. But so, in my mind, the candidate for president is Jair Bolsonaro.”

“Michelle, conversely, has a great chance of being elected to whatever office she runs for. We will have to see if she wants to,” he says.

The evaluation is the same concerning Tarcísio de Freitas (Republican-SP), former minister of the Bolsonaro government and current governor of the state of São Paulo.

To Flávio, he is a “phenomenal figure; he can be elected for whatever he wants to run for”.

However, “that chance is zero” of contesting the next presidential election against Bolsonaro. “[He is loyal] 100%,” he added.

With information from Gazeta do Povo