Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has pledged to launch a “war on drug trafficking” if elected, promising to designate the country’s two largest criminal organisations as terrorist groups and deepen security cooperation with the United States.
In a televised interview with Globo on Friday, Bolsonaro, 45, said he would target the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho, following Washington’s approach to organised crime. He has also promised to bring Brazil into the Shield of the Americas security alliance led by the United States, which has attracted around 15 predominantly right-wing governments.
Bolsonaro’s remarks come nine days before the presidential election, following his first-round victory by nearly two percentage points over incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80. The contest has become a clash between the far-right political movement associated with Bolsonaro’s family and Lula’s long-established left-wing leadership.
The Liberal Party candidate also sought to distinguish himself from Lula by promising to serve only one presidential term if elected.
“I only want one term; I only need one term to start putting this country right,” Bolsonaro said. He insisted that he did not support his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, or any of his brothers succeeding him in office, presenting his position as a rejection of prolonged family rule.
He also denied that he would appoint his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro as foreign minister. Eduardo, who lives in Texas, has been convicted in Brazil of obstruction of justice and has been described by his brother as a political persecuted figure.
Flávio Bolsonaro was less definitive when asked whether his father would receive a position in a future administration. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a sentence for an attempted coup following the end of his presidency.
“My father has never asked me for a position, and we have never discussed that,” Flávio Bolsonaro said. He added that receiving advice from a former president would be a privilege.
The candidate linked his promise to serve a single term to what he called his detachment from power. He also argued that the Brazilian right had enough emerging leaders to continue his political project beyond his presidency.
His comments follow an earlier proposal for constitutional reforms that he said would “redemocratise Brazil”. The plans include ending presidential re-election, extending the length of presidential terms and reforming the judiciary. The proposals have raised questions about how his administration would seek to reshape the country’s political institutions.
Bolsonaro also used the interview to attack Lula, noting that the incumbent was seeking the presidency for the seventh time. At the beginning of the broadcast, the sound of people banging pots and pans in protest against Bolsonaro could be heard in neighbourhoods of São Paulo.
He continued to defend his father, describing Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction as politically motivated.
“He was convicted in a farce by his enemies, Lula’s friends,” he said, dismissing the events surrounding the attempted coup as the “Disney coup”. The comments reflect the candidate’s continued defence of his father despite the criminal proceedings and sentence against the former president.
On domestic policy, Flávio Bolsonaro promised not to repeal a constitutional amendment approved on Wednesday that will give millions of Brazilian workers an additional day off by ending the so-called 6×1 work schedule, under which employees work six days and rest for one. He also pledged to preserve labour rights.
His position marks a commitment to retain the measure, which has become a political issue during the campaign and a recent victory for Lula’s administration.
The pledges on crime, foreign policy and constitutional reform offer a clearer picture of the programme Bolsonaro would pursue if he wins the presidency. His proposed approach would place tougher action against organised crime at the centre of domestic policy while bringing Brazil closer to a US-led regional security framework.
The election will determine whether that agenda replaces Lula’s current administration, with the two candidates offering sharply different political legacies and visions for Brazil’s future.
