博索纳罗之子选东北部检察官为副手，主攻卢拉反腐软肋

After failing to secure alliances with other parties, presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (Liberal Party, PL) named first-term congressman and former state prosecutor Alfredo Gaspar as his running mate on Wednesday, opting for an all-PL ticket that surprised allies who had expected a running mate capable of broadening the ticket’s appeal among women voters or reassuring financial markets. Lula leads Flávio Bolsonaro 44%-39% in runoff, Genial/Quaest poll shows The announcement came after the last parties considered potential allies—including the center-right parties Progressive Party (PP), the Brazil Union, and the Republicans—opted to remain neutral in the presidential race, leaving the Liberal Party with little choice but to select one of its own. The decision also deprived Flávio Bolsonaro of additional free airtime on radio and television. Gaspar is a recent addition to the Liberal Party. He joined the party earlier this year after leaving the Brazil Union, with plans to run for the Senate in the state of Alagoas, and later assumed leadership of the PL’s state chapter. Gaspar, a former state prosecutor in Alagoas, acted as rapporteur for the congressional investigation into the social security fraud scandal involving Brazil’s INSS. During this inquiry, he advocated for the arrest of President Lula’s eldest son, businessman Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha. Justice Flávio Dino opens third investigation into Lula’s son Investigations become campaign ammunition against Lula “[Gaspar is] someone who served as a prosecutor and led the Public Prosecution Service in his state. Someone who stood up for our retirees during the INSS congressional inquiry. Someone who called for Lulinha’s arrest because he had something to answer for,” Flávio Bolsonaro said. He also highlighted Gaspar’s northeastern roots, saying his running mate “represents the Northeast,” a region that has traditionally been a stronghold of support for Lula and the Workers’ Party (PT). Campaign allies said that Flávio’s main themes will include fighting corruption and working towards the release of those convicted of the Jan. 8, 2023 coup-mongering attacks against government institutions. Gaspar's choice indicates that the PL ticket aims to undermine Lula’s reputation by associating his son with the pension fraud scandal. The issue gained prominence this week following reports that Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, Lula’s ex-chief of staff, had received transfers from a lobbyist involved in the investigation. Probe reaches Lula aide, rattling re-election campaign Until now, investigators have not uncovered any evidence connecting Lulinha directly to the pension fraud scheme. However, the Federal Police report that he had associations with one of the suspected leaders of the network, lobbyist Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes. Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça has authorized an investigation into whether Lulinha helped a company linked to Antunes obtain authorization to market medical cannabis under a contract with the Health Ministry. Two other investigations involving Lula’s son have also been opened. Seeking to signal support for women voters, Flávio Bolsonaro was joined on stage by former Agriculture Minister and Senator Tereza Cristina, who had accepted an invitation to become his running mate before the Progressive Party blocked the nomination; Senator Damares Alves of the Republicans; and economist Daniella Marques, another of Flávio’s preferred choices for the ticket. Marques’ candidacy failed to advance after the Republicans opted to remain neutral in the presidential race. Before announcing Gaspar’s name, Flávio Bolsonaro repeatedly said he wanted a woman as his running mate. During the event, he thanked several women from the Liberal Party who had been considered for the role, including former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro and Fortaleza City Council member Priscila Costa. Neither attended the announcement. Michelle confirms Senate bid, but reunion with Flávio delayed Michelle, once again, did not appear alongside her stepson. On Sunday, she was absent from the convention that formally nominated her as the Liberal Party’s candidate for the Senate in the Federal District (Brasília), citing medical reasons. This time, according to Senator Damares Alves, the former first lady missed the event because she was “cooking for her husband.” “We tried to bring her here, but at this very moment she’s cooking for her husband. They don’t have a cook or a caregiver. They only have someone to look after the dog. Everything is fine between Flávio and Michelle,” Damares Silva said. She also downplayed criticism that the ticket did not include a woman. “What matters is not whether the running mate is a woman, but that this team is committed to public policies for women. Our commitment is to make those policies real, just as they were under the Bolsonaro administration. So regardless of who the running mate is, there is already a commitment to policies that protect women,” Damares Silva said. Tereza Cristina, in turn, attributed the lack of female representation on the ticket to the still limited participation of women in Brazilian politics. “Unfortunately, we still don’t have many women in politics. That’s why women need to participate more, receive more votes and build a stronger pool of candidates,” Tereza Cristina said. In his speech, Flávio Bolsonaro stated that even though the Liberal Party’s ticket was composed of members from multiple parties but lacked formal backing from others, prominent leaders from Brazil’s center-right bloc would continue to campaign with him. “This is just a small sample of how, regardless of party affiliation—I fought hard to secure more television time and campaign advertisements by bringing other parties into our national ticket, but that wasn’t possible. You can see that the leading figures from those parties, the people who helped build them, are walking with us,” he said. Despite criticism that his running mate would do little to broaden the ticket’s appeal among women voters, Flávio Bolsonaro also made remarks that could generate further controversy. “People who require permanent care, most of the time, are looked after by women. I had two daughters for exactly that reason. When I grow old, I’ll have someone to take care of me, because women are like that—they’re about family, they’re caring, they’re emotional, and they’re sensitive,” Flávio Bolsonaro said. Campaign coordinator Rogério Marinho rejected criticism of Flávio Bolsonaro’s coalition-building efforts and said the candidate would announce all of the Liberal Party’s state-level alliances during a livestream on Thursday. Gaspar’s selection not only surprised political observers in Brasília but also transformed the electoral scene in Alagoas, where two of Brazil’s key political figures—Senator Renan Calheiros of the MDB and former House Speaker Arthur Lira of the Progressive Party—are vying for two Senate seats. Before joining the presidential ticket, Gaspar had been running competitively for the Senate and was widely seen as capable of unseating either Calheiros or Lira. By withdrawing from that race, he effectively improved both candidates’ prospects. Calheiros’ allies argue that Lira orchestrated Gaspar’s withdrawal because his voters are likely to migrate to the former House speaker. Lira’s campaign, however, contends that the move actually benefits Calheiros, arguing that the MDB senator had been polling in third place and now stands to move up. Calheiros’ allies reject that assessment, insisting he had already been leading the race. (Murillo Camarotto contributed to this story.)