Four centre-right parties endorsed Flávio Bolsonaro on Wednesday, Oct. 7, giving the presidential candidate added backing before Brazil’s October 25 run-off against incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. União Brasil, Progressistas, Republicanos and Novo announced their support as Bolsonaro works to consolidate support after the first-round vote.
Endorsements Ahead of the Run-Off
The endorsements followed a day after Ronaldo Caiado, a former Goias state governor and ex-presidential contender, backed Bolsonaro. The campaign expects to finalise political party endorsements by Thursday. That backing could matter in the run-off: Bolsonaro fell less than three percentage points short of the outright majority needed to win the presidency in Sunday’s first-round vote.
Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, faces criticism over his lack of governing experience as he prepares for the second round against Lula. Four parties have now endorsed him. Caiado’s backing also brings support from a former rival in the presidential contest.
At a Republicanos event late Wednesday, São Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas addressed Bolsonaro and urged him to continue his father’s work. “We can't be part of a lost generation,” de Freitas said. “We have to deliver on the work that your father started.”
Bolsonaro called himself a “bridge builder” at the event. “I'll write every page of Brazil's history with you,” he said. His campaign is seeking to gather party backing before the run-off.
Constitution and Policy Proposals
Bolsonaro said he would respect the Constitution and the nation’s politics if elected. He also vowed to serve only one term as head of state. “There will be stability, peace so everyone can work, as well as respect for the Constitution,” Bolsonaro told reporters. “Brazil will go back to normal.”
The Constitution also sits at the centre of proposals he has discussed. On Tuesday, Bolsonaro said he could use a congressional majority to amend it if he became president. He has cited judicial, tax and public security reforms, along with a move to limit presidents to a single term, as policies that would require constitutional changes.
Voters elected a more right-leaning legislature. That result raises the prospect of majorities in both the Senate and the lower house, and of leaders being elected for both chambers. The base article doesn’t specify the size of any prospective majority or identify which constitutional amendments lawmakers would support.
A Close First Round
The first-round result left Bolsonaro less than three percentage points short of an outright majority, according to the article. He’ll face Lula in the second round on October 25. The four party endorsements, Caiado’s support and the campaign’s expected completion of party endorsements by Thursday all precede the vote.
Bolsonaro’s campaign must contend with criticism of his governing experience, while he has put constitutional amendments among the policies he would pursue. His stated proposals include judicial, tax and public security reforms and a presidential one-term limit. The article says those proposals would require constitutional changes, and that the legislature elected alongside the presidential contest is more right-leaning than before.
The source reports no migration, demographic or cultural policy proposals connected to the endorsements. Its account focuses on party support, the approaching run-off, Bolsonaro’s statements about respecting the Constitution and proposals that would require constitutional amendment.