Flávio Bolsonaro
Brazilian politician (born 1981)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro (born 30 April 1981) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician serving as a Senator for Rio de Janeiro since 2019.[1] A son of the 38th president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, he is affiliated with the Liberal Party (PL). He previously served as a state deputy of Rio de Janeiro from 2003 to 2019.
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Flávio Bolsonaro | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Senator for Rio de Janeiro | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Lindbergh Farias |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro | |
| In office 1 February 2003 – 1 February 2019 | |
| Constituency | At-large |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 April 1981 Resende, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Party | PL (2021–present) |
Other political affiliations | |
| Spouse | Fernanda Antunes Figueira |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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| Education | Candido Mendes University (LL.B.) |
| Occupation |
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| Website | www |
As a state deputy, Bolsonaro held the presidency of the Special Committee on Family Planning.[2] His political career culminated in his election to the senate in 2018, where he garnered 4.38 million votes.[3] Like his father, his political career has been marked by controversial statements.[4][5][6] Bolsonaro is the PL candidate in the 2026 Brazilian presidential election with the endorsement of his father.[7]
Early life and education
Bolsonaro was born in Resende, Rio de Janeiro, at the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras, to Jair Bolsonaro and Rogéria Nantes Braga.[8] He graduated from Candido Mendes University with a bachelor of laws degree. During his time at university, he was also officially employed in a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position at the leadership office of the PPB party in the Chamber of Deputies in Brasília. Media investigations later highlighted a conflict between this official employment in Brasília and his simultaneous, in-person attendance at law school and a volunteer internship at the Public Defender's Office in Rio de Janeiro.[9] He holds specializations in public policy from the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro and in entrepreneurship from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation.[10]
Political career
State Deputy (2003–2019)
Bolsonaro was elected to his first term in the 2002 Brazilian general election. He was re-elected as a state deputy in 2006, 2010, and in his last candidacy, in 2014, for the 2015–2019 period. In April 2015, he voted in favor of the appointment of Domingos Brazão to the Rio de Janeiro State Court of Accounts, an appointment that was heavily criticized at the time.[11] Brazão would later be accused of being the mastermind behind the assassination of Marielle Franco.[12]
On April 12, 2016, Bolsonaro and his bodyguard, who is also a military police officer, exchanged gunfire with two robbers who were holding up a car ahead of them in Rio de Janeiro's West Zone.[13] One of the assailants was injured and fled on a motorcycle. Like other members of the Bolsonaro family, he opposes what he calls "the media exploitation of human rights enforcement for the benefit of crime and criminals."[8]
In December 2018, the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo revealed that a report from the Council for Financial Activities Control (COAF) had identified an atypical movement of R$ 1.2 million in an account in the name of Fabrício Queiroz, a former aide to Bolsonaro.[14] This marked the beginning of the "rachadinhas case" and led the Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor's Office to open an investigation that lasted two years. The probe resulted in charges for the crimes of fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, and criminal organization being filed against Bolsonaro, Queiroz, and 15 other individuals involved.[14]
In 2021, the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) annulled the previous rulings on the case involving Queiroz and Bolsonaro. The evidence obtained by breaking the banking, tax, and telephone secrecy of the investigated parties—which had been used to support the Public Prosecutor's charges—was invalidated.[14]
Candidacy for Mayor of Rio de Janeiro (2016)
On July 23, at the Social Christian Party (PSC) convention held at the Bangu Atlético Clube, Bolsonaro officially launched his candidacy for mayor of Rio de Janeiro. The event was attended by the party's national president, Pastor Everaldo, and his father, Congressman Jair Bolsonaro. In his speech, he stated, "Our candidacy is a protest against everything that exists today. Governing is about setting priorities. And the big question is what Rio de Janeiro will be like after the Olympics. Only an independent person, outside this corrupt old political scheme, will have the freedom to make real changes."
In the 2016 elections, he ran for mayor of Rio de Janeiro and finished in 4th place with 424,307 votes, representing 14% of the valid votes. He did not advance to the runoff, contested by Marcelo Crivella (PRB) and Marcelo Freixo (PSOL), but finished ahead of candidates such as federal congressmen Indio da Costa (PSD), Jandira Feghali (PCdoB), and Alessandro Molon (REDE), among four others. Despite the defeat, he succeeded in getting his brother, Carlos Bolsonaro, elected as the most voted city councilor in Rio de Janeiro. During the first mayoral debate hosted by Band, he fell ill and had to leave the event in the second segment. He reportedly refused medical assistance offered by then-Congresswoman Jandira Feghali.[15]
Like his father, Bolsonaro is known for controversial stances. In an April 2011 interview, while defending his father's positions, he argued they promoted "family" values and ethical principles.[16] That same month, in an interview with O Estado de S. Paulo, he defended the Brazilian military dictatorship, claiming, "Back then there was security, quality healthcare and education, there was respect. Today, what rights do people have? Just to vote. And they still vote poorly."[17] He also stated there had been no dictatorship, characterizing the period as "a transition to democracy."[18] Additionally, Bolsonaro supports the death penalty and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.[8]
Senator of Rio de Janeiro (2019–present)
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In the 2018 elections, Bolsonaro ran for Senator from the state of Rio de Janeiro for the Social Liberal Party (PSL). The then state deputy's candidacy was announced at the PSL's national convention, held on July 22, 2018, in a convention center in Rio de Janeiro. At the same event, the Jair Bolsonaro 2018 presidential campaign was formalized.[19] In the election, Bolsonaro received 4,380,418 votes (31.36% of the total valid votes), being elected for the 56th legislature (2019–2023) of the Brazilian Federal Senate.[20] On February 6, 2019, he was elected 3rd Secretary of the Senate's Board of Directors.[21] On June 11, 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro awarded him the medal of the Order of Naval Merit during a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Riachuelo at the Brasília Marine Corps Group, located on the shores of Lake Paranoá.[22]
2026 presidential campaign
On December 5, 2025, Bolsonaro publicly announced his candidacy for president in the 2026 Brazilian general election, stating he had received the nomination from his father during a visit to the prison where the latter is being held at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília.[23] In a statement released on his social media, the senator declared: "It is with great responsibility that I confirm the decision of Brazil's greatest political and moral leader, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, to entrust me with the mission of continuing our national project."[24]
The decision was communicated beforehand to the Liberal Party (PL) and the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), who until then was the main candidate expected to be Jair Bolsonaro's choice in the elections, signaling that he would run for the presidency while Tarcísio is likely to focus on reelection. The announcement generated positive reactions among Bolsonarist allies, including federal congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL), who expressed support for his brother, and the national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, who endorsed the choice.[25]
Following the announcement of his candidacy, the financial market reacted negatively. The dollar surged by over 2%, while the São Paulo Stock Exchange plummeted by 4.11%, in contrast to the all-time high it had reached just days before.[26] As of May 2026, he is polling second place. Bolsonaro's candidacy is supported internationally by President of Argentina Javier Milei,[27][28] the President of Colombia Abelardo de la Espriella,[29] and Donald Trump.[30][31]
Involvement in the Banco Master scandal
On 10 December 2025, Intercept Brasil revealed that, in 2024, a non-governmental organization (NGO) belonging to Karina Ferreira da Gama, the owner of GoUp Entertainment and one of the film's executive producers, signed a R$108 million contract with the City Hall of São Paulo to provide Wi-Fi service to low-income communities in the city.[32] The next day, several São Paulo city councilors filed complaints to the state's Public Prosecutor's Office, requesting an investigation into the responsibility of the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, the suspension of contracts signed with the city hall and the investigation of possible irregularities in the bidding process for da Gama's NGO.[33]
In May 2026, Intercept Brasil reported that senator Flávio Bolsonaro had negotiated funding for Dark Horse with banker Daniel Vorcaro, the former head of Banco Master, who was under investigation in the Banco Master fraud case. According to the report, Flávio sought up to R$134 million (2025) (US$23.96 million) for the film, and at least R$61 million was allegedly transferred between February and May 2025 through intermediary structures, including Entre Investimentos e Participações and the Texas-based Havengate Development Fund LP, which was described as linked to allies of Eduardo Bolsonaro.[34][35][36] For comparison, the 2025 Oscar-winning Brazilian film I'm Still Here had a budget of EUR7.6 million (2024) (US$8.23 million) and The Secret Agent, EUR4.7 million (2025) (US$5.3 million).[37][38]
Brother, I preferred to send you an audio here so you can listen to it calmly. ... Despite you giving us the freedom, Daniel, to press you [for payment], I feel awkward keep pressing you, okay? But anyway... It's because we are at a very decisive moment here with the film and, since there are many overdue installments, man, everyone is tense and I'm worried about the opposite effect of what we envisioned for the movie, right? ... So, if you could give me a heads-up, a position, Daniel, because we need to know what to do, man, with our lives, because there are many... there are already many bills to pay this month and next month too. And now that it's the home stretch, we can't... we can't slip up, we can't fail to honor the commitments here, because otherwise we lose everything, man: the whole contract, we lose actors, we lose the director, we lose the crew, we lose everything. If you could give me a shout, brother. Sorry for the long audio, okay?
Flávio Bolsonaro initially denied the report, but later acknowledged having sought private sponsorship from Vorcaro for what he described as a private film about his father. He denied offering advantages, receiving money or using public funds, stating that there had been "zero" public money or Lei Rouanet funding involved.[40][41] The production company and Mário Frias denied that funds from Vorcaro or Banco Master had reached the production.[42]
On 15 May 2026, further reporting based on contracts and messages stated that Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flávio Bolsonaro's brother, had served as an executive producer on the film and had responsibilities related to financing strategy, investor materials and fundraising. The reports said the documents contradicted Eduardo's statement that he had merely licensed image rights for the project.[43][44] Opposition lawmakers subsequently filed a criminal representation with the Prosecutor General's Office and the Federal Police requesting an investigation into Flávio Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro, Vorcaro, and others over the alleged funding arrangements.[42]
Although Flávio Bolsonaro claims the money is a private investment with the use of no public funds, the Federal Police continues to investigate a nation-wide scheme where Master intentionally lead institutions and pensions to invest in toxic and unsupported funds, generating public losses in the tens of millions of dollars.[45] It is widely believed by journalists that Flávio Bolsonaro was aware of this at the time of negotiations, as he and Vorcaro had a modus operandi of exchanging one time view messages via WhatsApp.[46]
Electoral history
| Year | Election | Party | Office | Coalition | Partners | Party | Votes | Percent | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | State Elections of Rio de Janeiro | PP | State Deputy | N/a | 31,293 | 0.39% | Elected | ||||
| 2006 | State Elections of Rio de Janeiro | N/a | 43,099 | 0.53% | Elected | ||||||
| 2010 | State Elections of Rio de Janeiro | N/a | 58,322 | 0.78% | Elected | ||||||
| 2014 | State Elections of Rio de Janeiro | N/a | 160,359 | 2.07% | Elected | ||||||
| 2016 | Municipal Election of Rio de Janeiro | PSC | Mayor | Rio Needs Strength to Change (PSC, PRP) |
Rodrigo Amorim | PRP | 424,307 | 14.00% | Not elected | ||
| 2018 | State Elections of Rio de Janeiro | PSL | Senator | N/a | Paulo Marinho | PSL | 4,380,418 | 31.36% | Elected | ||
| Leonardo Rodrigues | PSL | ||||||||||
| 2026 | Presidential Election | PL | President | N/a | Alfredo Gaspar | PL | N/a | TBA | |||
