Flávio Bolsonaro pledges not to seek a second term — The Rio Times

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro said on October 16 that if elected president of Brazil, he would not seek a second term, even if Congress does not approve his proposal to abolish the reelection of the head of state. He said this in an interview with TV Globo, The Rio Times reports.

The Liberal Party candidate said that if he wins, he will introduce a proposal for a constitutional amendment that would abolish the possibility of presidential reelection. According to him, the restriction should also apply to relatives up to the third degree of kinship. The publication notes that this is his own proposal, not a current legal provision.

Proposal for one term

Bolsonaro said that the details of the reform should be determined during the legislative process. In particular, Congress would have to decide whether to extend the single presidential term from the current four years to five or six years.

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Presidential reelection has been allowed in Brazil since 1997. As The Rio Times notes, all presidents elected since 2002 sought to win a second term: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dilma Rousseff, and Jair Bolsonaro.

The decision depends on Congress

To adopt a constitutional amendment in Brazil, the support of three-fifths of the members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate is required in two rounds of voting in each chamber. Therefore, the president cannot independently change the rules on reelection.

Flávio Bolsonaro, who represents the state of Rio de Janeiro in the Senate, is running against incumbent President Lula in the second round scheduled for October 25. His statement is a campaign promise and does not create a legal obligation.