Supreme Federal Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes ordered the Ministério Público Eleitoral to investigate Senator Flávio Bolsonaro for alleged early electoral propaganda on Monday [1].
The investigation targets whether a letter written by former President Jair Bolsonaro and shared by his son on social media violates Brazilian electoral law. Because the legal framework strictly regulates when candidates can promote their bids, this probe could lead to sanctions, or impact the senator's political eligibility.
According to the court, the letter appears to promote Flávio Bolsonaro's pre-candidacy for the presidency before the official campaign period has begun [2]. Moraes said the letter promotes the pre-candidacy outside the electoral period [3].
As part of the judicial actions, Moraes issued a suspension of visits from Flávio to his father for 90 days [4]. The minister also set a deadline of five days for the Procuradoria-Geral da República to respond to related requests [5].
Reports on the scope of the investigation vary. Some sources said the probe targets only Flávio Bolsonaro for the specific act of early propaganda [3]. Other reports indicate that Moraes requested the inclusion of both Jair Bolsonaro and Flávio Bolsonaro in a separate investigation involving Eduardo Bolsonaro [5].
The decision was issued on July 13, 2026, in Brasília [1]. The court is now evaluating whether the social media posts constitute a formal campaign act, or fall under the protected right to free political expression.
“"A carta divulgada por Flávio promove sua pré‑candidatura à Presidência fora do período eleitoral."”
This legal move signals a strict judicial approach to the upcoming election cycle in Brazil. By targeting the Bolsonaro family's use of social media for pre-campaigning, the Supreme Federal Court is asserting its role in policing the boundary between personal political expression and illegal early campaigning, which could create significant legal hurdles for the family's political ambitions.
