Brazil Senator Flavio Bolsonaro woos business leaders ahead of presidential run

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro, is meeting this week with business and finance leaders to address skepticism over his economic policies as he prepares to run for president next year, people familiar with his plans said.
After a lunch last Thursday at UBS offices in Sao Paulo where attendees questioned the seriousness of his bid, the senator is meeting this week with banks, investment funds, business leaders and a market-focused podcast, two of the sources told Reuters.
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Another of the sources close to the senator said he is unlikely to define an economic program before February. Until then, he plans an intense schedule of private-sector meetings and international travel including a visit to the United States, the same source said.
Flavio Bolsonaro did not respond to a request for comment. The people declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The goal, according to the first two sources, is to present his candidacy as credible to business leaders who helped propel his father to the presidency in 2018. The former president, serving time for a coup plot after his 2022 electoral defeat, said this month he wanted his eldest son to run for Brazil’s highest office in 2026.
The elder Bolsonaro’s endorsement of his son sent Brazil’s currency and stock market sliding. Many investors had bet on Bolsonaro backing a more seasoned candidate with executive experience, such as Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, his former minister, to challenge leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva next year.
Lula is polling 10 percentage points ahead of both Tarcisio and Flavio Bolsonaro in simulated run-off scenarios, according to a survey by pollster Quaest released on Tuesday.
The younger Bolsonaro added to skepticism last Sunday by saying he could withdraw his candidacy although that would come