Political Realignment Continues Ahead of Brazil's Runoff: Flavio Bolsonaro Gains Third-Place Candidate's Support; Protests in Multiple Cities Against Far-Right Return to Power

According to France 24 citing AFP, Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro on Thursday received the support of Augusto Curry, the third-place finisher in the first round of voting, injecting new political momentum into the runoff two weeks from now against left-wing incumbent President Lula, who is seeking a fourth term.

Curry received approximately 3% of the vote in the first round. In a statement, he said, "my support is not a blank check" — a remark signaling to outside observers that his alignment with Flavio's camp is conditional or qualified, and not equivalent to an unconditional endorsement.

The realignment of the political landscape is far from complete. In Sunday's first round, Flavio led Lula 47% to 45%, a narrow margin. Fourth-place finisher Renan Santos (2.6 million votes) has explicitly refused to endorse either front-runner, making the contest between the two leaders even more closely fought.

A Datafolha poll shows Flavio leading Lula 52% to 48%. But Lula, at a Thursday news conference, refused to let polls set the tempo: "I don't evaluate polls, that's not how I work. I just know I need to get more votes than Flavio to win. I have 17 more days." Those 17 days will also be the window in which Lula's team attempts to compensate for its weakness on channels where the right holds an advantage by strengthening its social media presence.

What truly gives this runoff its tension is Flavio's political lineage. The 45-year-old Flavio is the eldest son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro — who, after losing the 2022 election, was accused of plotting a coup and currently remains under house arrest. A former president who faces judicial restrictions on his freedom for subverting election results, whose family member now seeks to return to the center of power under the same surname — this dynamic itself is a footnote on the pressure bearing down on Brazil's democratic institutions.

Street-level opposition and elite-level political realignment are unfolding in parallel. According to France 24 citing AFP, on Thursday thousands of protesters took to the streets in São Paulo and other cities to oppose the far right's return to power; a similar march had been held the previous day in Rio de Janeiro. As Jair Bolsonaro remains under house arrest for plotting a coup, his son races toward the runoff carrying the third-place candidate's conditional endorsement — and opponents respond to the situation with street mobilization.