Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure for the United States after losing Brazil’s 2026 election has drawn criticism from military supporters and strengthened interest in São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas as a possible presidential contender, according to a report by Folha de S.Paulo. The governor has said he is considering a run for the presidency after completing his new term in 2030.
The report spoke to current and former Army, Navy and Air Force personnel, including former service commanders and officers who served in different administrations. They gave their views anonymously, citing continued political uncertainty. Several said Flávio’s decision to leave without acknowledging the result or addressing his voters was unacceptable. One general compared it to a commander abandoning his troops.
Interviewees described their objections as rooted in character, honor, loyalty and gratitude rather than party politics. One former service commander said the mood among military figures could be summed up as “Less Bolsonaro, more Tarcísio.”
De Freitas, a retired Army captain, is viewed by those interviewed as aligned with conservative values among the so-called “military family”—active and retired service members and their relatives—and as prepared for a presidential campaign. They pointed to his service in three administrations and his leadership of Brazil’s most populous and wealthiest state. His military background also sets him apart, they said: he graduated from the Military Institute of Engineering after attending the Agulhas Negras Military Academy and served with an engineering company in the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
Although Bolsonaro endorsed De Freitas and the governor has so far avoided a direct break with his political patron, military figures interviewed by Folha expect a split in the next election cycle. They believe the most hard-line Bolsonaro supporters will remain with the family, but that most of the broader military group could shift to De Freitas if the two sides part ways.
Antipathy toward the Workers’ Party and dissatisfaction with the Supreme Federal Court also influenced military voters’ support for Flávio, the report said. Some officers viewed the court’s handling of the coup plot cases as biased and objected to the sentences imposed on military personnel, even when they agreed that those involved in attempts to break with democratic order should be punished.
The report said 21 of the 29 people convicted in the main coup-plot case were members of the Armed Forces; two had their sentences replaced by fines. The proceedings have damaged the military’s public image, prompting Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro and the service commanders to seek to curb political statements and candidacies by active-duty personnel.
Political involvement by military and security personnel nevertheless remains significant. The number of elected military and police figures, including those in the reserve, rose in 2026 and returned to the record level reached during Bolsonaro’s rise, Folha reported. A constitutional amendment proposal that would require active-duty Armed Forces members to enter the reserve when registering as candidates remains stalled in Congress and faces strong opposition within the military.
Sources: Folha Poder.