Caiado says he will pardon Bolsonaro if elected, aiming to 'pacify the country'

Ronaldo Caiado, now the presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party (PSD), has reaffirmed his commitment to pardon former President Jair Bolsonaro should he win the election. Caiado declared he would take this initiative on his first day in government, stating, “I want to pacify the Country.”

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When I said that (promise of amnesty for Bolsonaro), I said it and I stand by it. I will indeed take this initiative on my first day in government, because I want to pacify the Country.

Bolsonaro faces a 27-year prison sentence for allegedly leading a criminal organization that sought to overthrow the government and subvert democratic order. Caiado views the intense political division between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration and the bolsonarista movement as detrimental to the public.

Caiado, who recently switched from the União Brasil party to the PSD, is making his second presidential bid. He previously ran in 1989, securing less than 1% of the vote. His candidacy was confirmed at the PSD's convention on Sunday. He had faced competition within the party from Paraná Governor Ratinho Júnior and Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite, both of whom ultimately withdrew their candidacies.

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He has not given convincing answers.

Caiado, a former federal deputy, senator, and two-time governor of Goiás, positioned himself as an alternative to the current political landscape. He criticized Flavio Bolsonaro, stating that the former president's son's declining poll numbers are a result of recent accusations, adding, “He has not given convincing answers.” Caiado urged his party members that Brazil “cannot opt for those who are the most rejected in national politics.”

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Brazil cannot opt for those who are the most rejected in national politics.