Paraná Governor Ratinho Junior Backs Flávio Bolsonaro — The Rio Times

In Brazil, Paraná Governor Ratinho Junior announced his support for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro ahead of the second round of the presidential election scheduled for October 25. As reported by The Rio Times, the politician announced this on October 10 on social network X after talks with Bolsonaro and São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas.

In his post, Ratinho Junior called for acting together for Brazil’s future. He also attached a Folha de S.Paulo column whose headline stated that Bolsonaro had called the governor and secured his support.

Support ahead of the second round

Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator from the conservative Liberal Party, will face incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a representative of the left-wing Workers’ Party, in the second round. Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

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Ratinho Junior has led the state of Paraná since 2019 and belongs to the Social Democratic Party, which The Rio Times describes as center-right. At the same time, the party declared neutrality in the second round. According to Metrópoles, Flávio Bolsonaro was also supported by Ronaldo Caiado, a candidate from this party who was eliminated after the first round on October 4.

Paraná’s significance

Paraná, in southern Brazil, has about 11.4 million residents and is a major exporter of soybeans, corn, and chicken. According to the governor, goods exports from the state in January through September amounted to $18.7 billion, 5.5% higher than in the corresponding period of 2025.

On October 11, prediction betting platforms Kalshi and Polymarket estimated Flávio Bolsonaro’s probability of victory at about 87–88%, compared with 12.5–13% for Lula. The Rio Times notes that these figures reflect traders’ betting prices rather than opinion poll results.