Flavio Bolsonaro picks Alfredo Gaspar as running mate

Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro on Wednesday named conservative lawmaker Alfredo Gaspar as his running mate for the October election.

Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, is the main election rival of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth term.

The choice of Gaspar followed weeks of uncertainty after several women seen as possible running mates were blocked from running by their parties, which rejected a formal alliance with Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro said Gaspar was someone he admired for “his courage, his honesty, and his track record leading public security efforts.” Bolsonaro has made crime a central part of his campaign.

Gaspar, 55, has been a congressman since 2023 and represents the northeastern state of Alagoas for the Liberal Party, Bolsonaro's party. Gaspar previously served as a prosecutor and head of his state's public prosecutor's office.

“I will march by his side so that we can transform Brazil into a fair and decent place,” Gaspar said.

Bolsonaro's campaign organisers had suggested he might choose a woman as running mate as he tries to appeal to a demographic Brazil's right has struggled to win over. Mariano Machado, Americas principal analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, said neutrality gave centre-right parties more bargaining power than an early commitment to the opposition while Lula was ahead in most polls.