The Son of a Imprisoned President and Close to Trump.. Who is the Competitor of the President of Brazil?

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Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, will face veteran Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a decisive runoff on October 25 for the top position in the largest economy in Latin America. The electoral court in Brasilia announced today, Monday, that neither the current 80-year-old president, who is seeking a non-consecutive fourth term, nor the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 elections, reached the required 50% or more of the total votes needed to win in the first round.

This 45-year-old lawyer, the eldest son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, is one of the prominent faces of the conservative right in Brazil.

The politician in his forties, born on March 10, 1981, in Resende, also serves as a member of the Brazilian Senate representing the state of Rio de Janeiro.

He began his political career early at the age of 21 and has maintained his seat in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro for four consecutive terms. He is referred to in political circles as 'Son Number 1' as he is the eldest son of Jair Bolsonaro.

He has also served as a member of the Brazilian Senate since 2019 to the present.

Additionally, Flavio has experience in managing electoral campaigns, having played a pivotal role in coordinating the electoral and media campaigns for the right-wing "Bolsonarista" movement, especially in the presidential elections of 2022.

His political orientations are conservative right-wing, as he adopts strict positions on adhering to traditional family values and opposing abortion.

He also supports tough-on-crime policies, facilitating gun ownership for citizens, and backing security and military forces.

He advocates for economic liberalism, calling for a reduction in the size of government intervention in the economy, lowering taxes, and facilitating free investment.

Flavio Bolsonaro faced several judicial investigations that attracted widespread media attention in the country, the most notable of which was the "Rachadinha" case, where he was accused of embezzling public funds by imposing financial deductions from the salaries of employees in his former legislative office when he was a deputy in Rio de Janeiro. However, these charges were later dismissed by the higher courts.

He was also accused of money laundering, but he denied this, asserting that all investigations were politically motivated to target his family.

As for Da Silva, Bolsonaro represents an extension of his family's legacy and political orientations. The two men are in conflict over all policies in various economic, political, and security fields.

Flavio represents the spearhead of the continuation of the conservative right, the military establishment, and agricultural interests, while Da Silva, in his eighties, symbolizes the Brazilian left, trade unionism, and social development programs.

The first round of the current elections focused on the cost of living, corruption, and the lack of security in the daily lives of Brazilians, coming in the wake of a series of victories for right-wing parties leaning towards Trump across Latin America. The stronger performance expected from Bolsonaro, who received 47 percent of the votes compared to 45 percent for Lula, could support his campaign and may boost the Brazilian currency and stock market, which have risen on the back of the prospects of victory for the business-friendly competitor. Notably, private polls conducted before the elections had predicted Lula's lead in the first round by about three percentage points.