Never Again a Coup Attempt - 29/10/2026 - Opinion - Folha de S.Paulo
Just when one thinks the Bolsonaros have already hit rock bottom in their attempts to undermine democracy, they sink another notch. Flávio, the PL candidate defeated in Sunday's election, fled the country and, from his hideout in the United States, suspected of being funded with dirty money from Banco Master, proclaimed himself the true president of Brazil.
Perhaps warned that the term could bring him further legal trouble, he quickly edited the letter. "President" became "leader," but the lie that there had been fraud persisted. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) received 4.4 million more votes than his opponent, an enormous margin that could not possibly have been overcome during the two extra hours that polling stations remained open under an absurd court ruling.
The son copies the criminal conduct of his father, Jair, when he lost his reelection bid four years ago. The difference is that, being out of government, Flávio had no way to pressure military commanders into staging a coup. But the rabble-rousing rhetoric about the elections is the same, as is the deep-rooted contempt for democracy.
The senator's widely publicized decision on Monday (26) to stop questioning the integrity of the election was merely a tactical retreat. His authoritarian tirades resumed as soon as he set foot on American soil, after a political and unnecessary decision by Justice Alexandre de Moraes to order the seizure of his passports handed him a pretext to play the victim.
The son also emulates his father in attempting to remain at the head of the opposition even after a cowardly act of abandonment. Jair Bolsonaro's cowardice lay in pursuing a subversive path to remain in power. When he chose that course, he gave up on accepting defeat, organizing allied forces and trying to win election again in 2026. It was either win through violence or be caught by the law if he failed. He failed and was convicted.
Even so, the PL yielded to the influence of the imprisoned former president and reduced the presidential succession to a family matter. It handed Lula the best possible opponent. The specter of a return of Bolsonarism, embodied by Flávio, stirred so much fear among voters that it produced the remarkable feat of a second-round comeback.
Flávio's cowardice was to flee the country just hours after receiving nearly 60 million votes. By opting for a gilded refuge under Donald Trump's protection, Flávio Bolsonaro gave up leading the opposition in the next electoral cycle. The "letter" from Florida attempts to undo that obvious conclusion. It serves as an attempt to intimidate the parties that will oppose the Workers' Party president into submitting to a fugitive commander.
Anyone who fell into Jair's trap once will only get caught in the second one, devised by his spineless eldest son, if they are an idiot. Brazil and the center-right will benefit from the burial of this authoritarian, ignorant and incompetent family's presidential prospects. It is time to look ahead.
