Caiado criticizes Flávio Bolsonaro's remarks to ambassadors against voting machines

Ronaldo Caiado, a presidential hopeful from the PSD party, publicly criticized Senator Flávio Bolsonaro for his recent address to foreign ambassadors concerning Brazil's electronic voting system. Caiado, who is also a former governor of Goiás, stated that Bolsonaro should have used the opportunity to promote investment and trade rather than casting doubt on the electoral process.

"Forty-two ambassadors in a room: it was possible to sell soybeans. It was possible to open markets for industry. It was possible to attract investment," Caiado remarked on social media. He suggested that Bolsonaro's focus on unsubstantiated claims about the voting machines was a missed chance to advance Brazil's economic interests on the international stage.

Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had repeated his father's unfounded criticisms of the electronic voting machines to the assembled diplomats. He falsely claimed that Brazil's machines share origins with Venezuela's Smartmatic machines, alleging involvement in a 2012 fraud scheme. This mirrors Jair Bolsonaro's own actions, which led to his ineligibility after making similar attacks on the electoral system to ambassadors in 2023.

Caiado's criticism signals a more direct confrontation with his right-wing rival as the 2026 presidential election approaches. Recent polls suggest Caiado and other less prominent right-wing candidates like Romeu Zema have a chance against President Lula in a second-round runoff, partly due to Lula's high rejection rates and the polarized political climate. Caiado has also criticized the U.S. granting a green card to Eduardo Bolsonaro, suggesting such benefits are more needed by Brazilian producers seeking access to American markets.