Zema Avoids Criticizing Flávio Bolsonaro as He Seeks PL Alliance

Romeu Zema, the presidential candidate of Brazil’s liberal Novo party, avoided criticizing Flávio Bolsonaro at a party convention on Monday as he sought to preserve the possibility of an alliance with Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) in a potential runoff against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Zema instead concentrated his speech on Lula, the Workers’ Party (PT), and ministers of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF). The former governor of Minas Gerais also presented himself as an explicitly anti-PT candidate, saying that opposition to the party was his central political position.

“My banner is to be against the PT. I saw the PT destroy Brazil,” Zema said.

A Shift in Tone

The candidate had previously attacked Flávio over his reported contact with Daniel Vorcaro, the former Banco Master executive at the center of an alleged financial fraud scandal. In May, after The Intercept reported that Flávio had sought money from Vorcaro to finance Dark Horse, a film honoring former president Jair Bolsonaro, Zema called the request “impermissible.”

At Monday’s event, however, Zema declined to discuss Flávio by name. Asked why he had softened his criticism, he said he had already expressed his views and did not intend to repeat them.

Zema also said he was not in a position to determine whether Flávio was corrupt, arguing that investigations should proceed before any conclusion is reached. The police inquiry into the film’s financing was authorized the previous week by Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça.

The investigation is examining whether money sent abroad to finance the film may have had another destination. According to the report, investigators suspect that Banco Master’s Vorcaro financed part of the production through transfers totaling R$61 million, roughly US$11 million at recent exchange rates. The conversion is approximate.

Targeting the Supreme Court

Rather than attacking Flávio, Zema directed his criticism at the STF and named Justices Gilmar Mendes, Alexandre de Moraes and Dias Toffoli. He associated them with issues surrounding Banco Master, while emphasizing that other political figures—not himself—had traveled on the banker’s private jet or received business benefits allegedly linked to him.

Zema also said Brazil needed to end what he called a system of “untouchables” and described corruption as the country’s greatest problem. His comments included criticism of the judiciary and a reference to a lawsuit brought by Justice Gilmar Mendes.

The strategy reflects Novo’s broader electoral calculations. The party currently has four federal lawmakers and one senator, but hopes to elect 15 to 20 members of the lower house and three senators in 2026. Several of its Senate candidates have signaled closeness to Bolsonaro’s political movement.

Zema’s allies expect Novo and the PL to cooperate if both parties reach a second-round contest against Lula. He has privately indicated that Flávio, as well as other presidential contenders such as Renan Santos and Ronaldo Caiado, would be preferable to the incumbent.

This account is based on single-source reporting by O Globo.