Bolsonaro family sweeps multiple races in Brazil's elections
Flavio Bolsonaro outpolled President Lula da Silva in the first round of Brazil's presidential vote, while several relatives of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro won congressional seats. The two will meet again in an October 25 runoff.
Brazil's Bolsonaro family had a strong showing in Sunday's elections, with every relative who ran for office winning their contest. The most notable result came from Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who took 47 percent of the vote in the first round of the presidential race, edging out incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's 45 percent. The two will face off again in a runoff scheduled for October 25.
Flavio, 45, was handpicked by his father to carry forward the family's political project after the elder Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting a coup and banned from running for office until 2030.
Gains in Senate and Congress
The Liberal Party, the Bolsonaro family's political vehicle, became the largest force in the Senate, winning 19 of the 54 seats contested, though it fell short of a majority. Jair Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, received more votes than any other candidate in her Senate bid representing the Federal District, home to the capital Brasilia. Commentators have suggested the 44-year-old could be positioning herself for a presidential run in 2030.
Carlos Bolsonaro, the former president's second son at 43, was the second-most-voted Senate candidate in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Eduardo Bolsonaro, 42, the third son, gave up his seat in the lower house last year after relocating to the United States. The youngest brother, 28-year-old Jair Renan, won a federal deputy seat in the same state, while Jair Bolsonaro's 62-year-old brother Renato Bolsonaro was elected federal deputy in Sao Paulo.
Should Flavio Bolsonaro win the presidency, he would have two senators and two federal deputies from his family backing efforts to deliver on his campaign pledge of securing amnesty for his imprisoned father — a move that would require approval from both chambers of Congress. The Liberal Party will also hold the largest bloc in the lower house, meaning that even if Lula wins re-election, he would face a Congress dominated by conservative lawmakers.
