By Fernando Cardoso
SAO PAULO, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has secured the new backing of multiple parties ahead of an election runoff later this month, suggesting his campaign is building momentum and offering an early glimpse of what a governing coalition could look like if he wins.
The right-wing lawmaker, the eldest son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the runoff on October 25, after he exceeded expectations
in the first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Endorsements have since rolled in from a number of center-right and right-wing parties, putting Bolsonaro's coalition on track to hold comfortable majorities in both chambers of Congress should he win the presidency. Brazil's Congress is highly fragmented and whoever wins the presidency needs to assemble a congressional coalition in order to advance their legislative agenda.
Support in Congress would increase the chances that Bolsonaro will be able to push through the free-market economic reforms investors are clamoring for. It could also help a potential Bolsonaro government reshape Brazilian institutions like the Supreme Court by confirming new justices and even impeaching sitting ones.
"I am very pleased with this formal support. This is how we are going to rebuild Brazil," Bolsonaro said last week during a press conference with lawmakers and members from allied parties.
The new backers include PP, Uniao Brasil, Republicanos and Podemos, parties that had remained neutral during the first-round campaign. Lawmakers from some of those parties used to hold influential positions in Lula's administration, including cabinet posts.
Bolsonaro also secured the support of three presidential contenders defeated in the first round: former Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema, former Goias Governor Ronaldo Caiado and author-psychiatrist Augusto Cury. Zema's Novo party also endorsed Bolsonaro.
The endorsements mark a significant turnaround for the senator, who entered the final stretch of the first-round campaign without formal support from major parties as opinion polls consistently showed him trailing Lula.
If Bolsonaro wins, he would likely need to make concessions to allied parties, as is common in Brasilia and as Lula did in 2023, when nearly half his cabinet posts went to allies.
A rightward shift in Congress after this month’s elections could make those deals less costly.
"If he keeps his campaign promises, his support is likely to be overwhelming," political analyst Antonio Flavio Testa said.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Combined, Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL) and allied parties could control over 280 seats in the lower house and up to 50 seats in the Senate, enough for comfortable majorities in both chambers.
Bolsonaro highlighted the potential legislative strength during an event last week, saying congressional support would allow his government to "amend the Constitution and restore democracy to this country," a remark criticized by Lula's supporters, who argued it showed a lack of respect for Brazil's democratic institutions.
The candidate later said that he was referring to the passage of constitutional amendments, which demand broad congressional support, adding that interpretations beyond that were speculative.
A strong congressional base could be key to the younger Bolsonaro’s pledge to grant amnesty to his father, who is serving 27 years for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election.
Testa said the coalition could hold through 2028, when parties are expected to reassess alliances ahead of municipal elections.
But any government turmoil could put it under strain. The elder Bolsonaro shuffled his cabinet several times to shore up support from allied parties as his government came under growing public scrutiny over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lula, meanwhile, has struggled to attract new endorsements ahead of the runoff, having already consolidated support from most center-left and left-wing parties before the first round.
After a bruising first round, Lula is rushing to overhaul his campaign communications to engage millions of Brazilians who did not vote, according to people close to the campaign.
(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Rosalba O'Brien)
