Flávio Bolsonaro Pledges to 'Re-Democratize' Brazil, Sparking Coup Fears

After a surprise first-round victory in Brazil's presidential election, Flávio Bolsonaro – son of former president Jair Bolsonaro – has pledged to "re-democratize" the country, fueling fears of a shift toward authoritarian rule if he wins the runoff.

Speaking at a campaign event in Goiânia, near the capital Brasília, Flávio Bolsonaro said he would use the far right's growing presence in congress after the election to change the constitution and "re-democratize this country." He said: "The only thing stopping Brazil from becoming a barbarity is Flávio Bolsonaro being president."

The controversial remarks sparked outrage among historians and opponents of Bolsonaro's right-wing populist movement, who accuse him of using democratic language to disguise an illiberal shift.

Left-wing congresswoman Talíria Petrone wrote on X: "This is a coup statement." Newly elected congressman Marcelo Freixo of Lula's Workers' Party (PT) said: "Brazil was re-democratized in 1988. The one who tried to reverse this was his father, who was convicted of plotting a coup. What they want, once again, is a coup."

Flávio Bolsonaro did not explain what "re-democratization" would mean for Brazil, a vibrant but polarized multiparty democracy ranked 28th on the liberal democracy index by Sweden-based V-Dem, two places above Britain and 23 above the US.

However, his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who has praised authoritarian leaders including former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, has long yearned for a return to military rule. Last September, the supreme court convicted Jair Bolsonaro of trying to persuade military commanders to help him seize power after the end of his 2018-2022 presidential term. The plot culminated in the January 8, 2023 riots in Brasília, a far-right uprising seemingly inspired by the US Capitol attack of January 6.

Writing in O Globo, renowned political and economic journalist Míriam Leitão warned that if Bolsonaro wins, Brazil will face an "extremely concrete risk of another coup plot." She wrote: "Flávio pursues the same idea as his father and has said there needs to be intervention in the institutions. If Flávio Bolsonaro is elected, he will have more tools to carry out his father's authoritarian project: strong caucuses in the lower house and senate, a weakened supreme court and the support of the Donald Trump administration. Political science shows that by a second term, a dictator will push his plan forward. Look at the case of Donald Trump. The risk is not the son repeating the father, but surpassing him."

Political scientist Miguel Lago said the far right's victory in Sunday's election – when Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL) won the largest caucus in the senate with 28 of 81 seats – will enable radical changes, including the impeachment of supreme court judges seen as enemies of the Bolsonarismo movement. Jair Bolsonaro and his co-defendants, currently detained, could also be freed if his son wins, with the former president expected to become an influential minister who could pick new leaders of the armed forces.

Lago said: "That is even better than a coup… it is almost like a coup with the support of the majority of the population."

Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's authoritarian president, has been accused of "killing" democracy by using control of congress and institutions to pass sweeping constitutional changes, including scrapping presidential term limits so he can run for re-election indefinitely. Flávio Bolsonaro recently met Bukele's security minister, Gustavo Villatoro, in São Paulo, praising the Central American nation's hardline security policies, under which thousands have been detained in a state of exception lasting nearly five years. Bolsonaro told reporters that in their conversation, Villatoro "emphasized the importance" of using congressional control to make "necessary legal changes."

On Tuesday, the chairman of Bolsonaro's party, Valdemar Costa Neto, said that if Flávio Bolsonaro becomes president, he will free his father, who would then be "a strong candidate" in the 2030 presidential election.