Flavio Bolsonaro Pushes Tough Crime Plan to Win Voters

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has announced a new public‑safety strategy that focuses on crushing criminal groups, hoping to sway undecided voters before the upcoming election. The proposal includes twelve key actions, such as treating major gangs like terrorist organizations and using force to eliminate armed offenders. Flavio claims that any criminal with a rifle will be neutralized by security forces. His approach echoes his father Jair Bolsonaro’s earlier hard‑on‑crime stance, which coincided with a notable drop in Brazil’s homicide rate. Voters remain uneasy about street crime, making security a priority issue.The plan targets two powerful networks—Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital—that dominate crime across large parts of the country. The senator’s lobbying in Washington led to both groups being labeled foreign terrorist organizations, a move praised by some but criticized by others. Additional measures include lowering the penal age from 18 to 16, deploying elite units at borders, and building five new maximum‑security prisons modeled after a system used in El Salvador. Brazil’s overcrowded prison system has long struggled with poor conditions, and the senator calls these new facilities “Treva, ” meaning darkness. Despite his campaign efforts, Flavio’s poll numbers have dipped after a controversy involving money from a jailed banker for a film about his father. He trails President Lula in current surveys, with Lula holding a significant lead in the projected runoff.