SAO PAULO, June 18 - Senator Flavio Bolsonaro presented a public safety package on Thursday that centers on a toughened response to violent crime as he seeks to close the gap with incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the October vote.
The plan lists 12 priority measures, chief among them a proposal to treat Brazil's leading criminal organizations as terrorist groups. The senator said such groups would be pursued "with force and intelligence." During the presentation in Sao Paulo he added: "Any armed criminal carrying a rifle will be taken down by our security forces."
Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, framed the measures as both a signal to voters concerned about rampant street crime and a continuation of a family policy emphasis on security. The country's homicide rate fell substantially during Jair Bolsonaro's term, a trend that had begun prior to his presidency. According to the senator, the new package is intended to reduce public fear by imposing harsher measures on criminals.
The plan specifically targets Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital, identified in the presentation as the two most powerful criminal networks operating across large regions of Brazil. The senator emphasized that those groups would be treated under the new approach with the same weight as terrorist organizations - a stance that recently gained traction in Washington.
Last month the senator reportedly persuaded U.S. authorities to designate both groups as foreign terrorist organizations, a move that drew criticism from President Lula, who called the step undue interference in Brazil's domestic affairs. The article said legal experts warned the designation could have knock-on effects for businesses operating in Brazil.
Beyond the terrorist designation, the proposal includes a push to lower the penal age from 18 to 16, the deployment of elite forces to secure Brazil's borders, and the construction of five new maximum-security prisons modeled after a program in El Salvador. Brazil already has one of the world's largest prison populations and long-standing issues with overcrowding and poor infrastructure. The senator said the proposed prisons would be named Treva - Portuguese for darkness - and described the initiative as taking fear away from citizens and placing it in the hands of criminals.
Senator Bolsonaro's standing in public opinion has weakened in recent weeks amid a controversy following his confirmation that he received money from a now-jailed banker to help finance a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Polling suggests he currently trails Lula in a potential October runoff. A CNT/MDA survey released earlier in the week showed the incumbent leading 49.3% to 36.8%.
Context and reactions
The security plan is meant to appeal to independent voters while reinforcing the senator's core supporters. Lula criticized the U.S. designation of the criminal groups as meddling in Brazil's internal matters, and legal analysts cited in the report cautioned that the designation could create implications for private sector actors operating within the country.
At the same time, the senator faces political headwinds from the financing revelation and the resulting decline in polling numbers. How voters and markets ultimately respond to the mix of aggressive security proposals and the corruption-related controversy remains uncertain.