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Far-right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has reaffirmed his commitment to running in Brazil\u2019s 2026 presidential race<\/span>, despite criticism that he appeared to be openly haggling over whether to remain a candidate.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Bolsonaro met with reporters outside federal police headquarters in the capital Brasilia, where his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to foment a coup.<\/p>\n The younger Bolsonaro said he conveyed to his father that he would not shrink from the 2026 race.<\/p>\n \u201cI told him this candidacy is irreversible,\u201d Flavio said. \u201cAnd in his own words, \u2018We will not turn back.\u2019 Now it is time to talk to people, so we can have the right people on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n The senator also attempted to clear up the comments that sparked the initial controversy.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Flavio raised eyebrows when he told Brazilian media that he could exit the race \u2014 for the right \u201cprice\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a possibility I won\u2019t go all the way,\u201d Flavio said at the time. \u201cI have a price for that. I will negotiate.\u201d<\/p>\n He declined to name what that price would be, but his comments were widely interpreted to be a reference to his father\u2019s imprisonment.<\/p>\n In September, a panel on Brazil\u2019s Supreme Court convicted<\/span> Jair of five charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2022 presidential election, including one count of seeking the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.<\/p>\n Jair lost the 2022 race to current Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a left-wing leader who has announced he will run for a fourth term in 2026.<\/p>\n In November, the Supreme Court panel ordered Jair to be taken into custody to begin his sentence, after the ex-president admitted to damaging his ankle monitor<\/span>.<\/p>\n Separately, in 2023, Brazil\u2019s Supreme Electoral Tribunal ruled that Jair should be barred from holding public office<\/span> for eight years, as a penalty for misusing the presidential office to spread election falsehoods.<\/p>\n Since his detention, Jair has backed his eldest son\u2019s candidacy in the 2026 race. Liberal Party (PL) president Valdemar Costa Neto also confirmed on Friday that Jair\u2019s endorsement meant that Flavio would indeed lead the party\u2019s ticket.<\/p>\n Flavio has since received other right-wing endorsements, including from Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who was previously considered a frontrunner to represent the PL.<\/p>\n But Flavio\u2019s comments on Sunday have thrown his nascent candidacy into doubt.<\/p>\n Critics, including from Lula\u2019s Workers Party, have seized upon Flavio\u2019s suggestion of a \u201cprice\u201d to question his ethics and commitment.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one launches a candidacy one day, and the next day says, \u2018Look, I can negotiate,’\u201d Edinho Silva, the president of the Workers Party, told reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s not just me. No one would take it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n But Flavio on Tuesday dismissed the attacks and reaffirmed he would stay in the race, while fighting for his father\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n \u201cMy price is Bolsonaro free and on the ballot,\u201d he said. \u201cIn other words, there is no price.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n