Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday endorsed his son Flavio Bolsonaro for the 2026 presidential election from a hospital bed in Brasilia after undergoing treatment for a hernia.
“With the commitment of not allowing the popular will to be silenced, I make the decision to nominate Flavio Bolsonaro as a pre-candidate for the presidency in 2026,” Jair Bolsonaro said in a letter read out by Flavio in front of a hospital, according to Reuters.
Flavio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, is expected to face off against sitting President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in October.
Jair Bolsonaro, nicknamed “Trump of the Tropics,” was criminally convicted for plotting a coup to overthrow da Silva after the 2022 election and is serving 27 years in prison.
He began serving his sentence in November while family members reached out to President Trump for intervention.
Jair Bolsonaro’s doctor, Claudio Birolini, described his Thursday hernia operation as uneventful but he is expected to stay in the hospital for five to seven days, according to Reuters.
Doctors said in a statement that Bolsonaro “will continue with postoperative care, including pain management, physical therapy and prevention of venous thrombosis,” according to the Associated Press.
The former Brazilian president has undergone multiple surgeries after sustaining injuries from a 2018 stabbing during a campaign rally.
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