Argentina’s President Javier Milei plans to visit Brazil on Friday night to support Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in the upcoming presidential election in October.
This weekend, Brazil’s Liberal Party (PL) will hold its national convention in São Paulo. Flavio Bolsonaro, the oldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is anticipated to be officially announced as the party’s candidate, contesting against the far-left incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is vying for a fourth term.
President Milei, a long-time ally of the Bolsonaro family, is expected to attend the PL convention to back Senator Bolsonaro, whom he met in Argentina a couple of months ago. He will be accompanied by his sister Karina Milei and Argentina’s Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno.
Before the convention on Saturday, it’s reported that Milei will meet with Tarcisio de Freitas, the pro-Bolsonaro governor of São Paulo, and receive military honors. According to Argentine news, De Freitas is set to award Milei with the state’s highest honor, the Order of the Grand Cross, and they are expected to have a brief exchange of words. Afterwards, informal talks are planned with De Freitas and Flavio Bolsonaro.
Initially, Milei was slated to travel to Brasília on Friday to see former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest for “crimes against democracy.” However, he won’t be able to do so because Judge Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has prohibited the former president from having any “political campaign” visits until after the elections. Moraes also stated that this applies to visits from heads of state. An Argentine official mentioned that a request to visit Bolsonaro was turned down by Moraes through diplomatic channels.
Judge de Moraes, who wields significant power, revoked Bolsonaro’s visitation rights after Flavio revealed a letter penned by Jair Bolsonaro calling for support for his campaign. De Moraes contended that Flavio’s actions breached the social media restrictions imposed on Jair Bolsonaro while under house arrest. Currently, Jair Bolsonaro can only be visited by his medical and legal teams.
Interestingly, Milei has openly critiqued Lula and his administration concerning Jair Bolsonaro’s imprisonment, and he reportedly has no intention of meeting the Brazilian president during this trip.
Various media outlets suggest that Milei’s support for Flavio Bolsonaro at the PL conference is perceived as an effort to bolster the senator’s campaign, especially in light of recent scandals involving the Bolsonaro family. Issues have arisen, such as an imprisoned banker allegedly funding Flavio, and tensions within the Bolsonaro family, particularly with former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro. Some conservative politicians and parties are seemingly reluctant to show support for Flavio, given his father’s legal troubles.
A poll from late April indicated that Senator Bolsonaro was “technically tied” with Lula, and a recent survey suggested that they remain in a similar position. However, it acknowledged that Flavio was in a challenging position going into a potential run-off against the sitting president.
Milei’s visit to Brazil is part of a broader tour through Latin America that includes stops in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. He is scheduled to be in Lima on July 28 for the inauguration of conservative president-elect Keiko Fujimori, followed by a visit to Quito for discussions with President Daniel Novoa, and concluding in Bogotá on August 7 to attend the inauguration of conservative President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.
