Michelle and Flávio expose dispute for leadership of Bolsonarism, says Dharma

A video released by Michelle Bolsonaro (PL) on Wednesday (24), in which she comments on her troubled relationship with PL's pre-candidate for President, Flávio Bolsonaro, sparked the debate about the direction of Bolsonaroism. For the CEO of the consultancy Dharma Politics, Creomar de Souza, the episode highlights an internal dispute for leadership of the right-wing political field.

In a WW interview, Creomar assessed that the clash between the figures goes beyond a simple personal disagreement. According to him, the video of the former first lady offers "clear evidence" that the question of who will lead Bolsonarism in the absence of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) is open.

Dispute over political inheritance
Creomar drew a parallel with the PT camp, which seeks an alternative to "Lulism" without President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). "We have an inheritance dispute on the side of Bolsonarism with the progenitor still alive", said the expert.

For him, both Michelle and the children of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) - today represented by Flávio's candidacy - demonstrate a concern that can be interpreted as being greater with the maintenance of hegemony in the right-wing camp than with an electoral victory itself.

In this scenario, Creomar identified a dispute that involves Michelle, Flávio and Eduardo Bolsonaro. Each of them would seek to position themselves as the legitimate "bearer of the political heritage" of Jair Bolsonaro.

"I am the bearer of the political legacy of Jair Bolsonaro's legacy and I can, from there, build a new dynamic of putting Brazil back on the path of a government governed by law", exemplified the analyst, reproducing the argument that each of the disputants could present.

Anti-petism as an insufficient strategy
Anti-petism, in itself, would be enough to sustain a candidacy, suggesting that Flávio Bolsonaro's (PL) campaign could be relying excessively on this discourse to the detriment of other elements, such as coordination, articulation and grassroots work, according to Creomar.

For the expert, if the hypothesis that controlling the anti-PT base is more important than winning in 2026 makes sense, this cycle's election would become a secondary issue.

The real focus would be on 2030, when, according to him, without Lula in the picture, there would be room for one of the heirs of Bolsonarism to raise his flag and claim leadership of the conservative field.

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Source: CNN