Bananinha, Lula's unusual campaign manager

One of the most fascinating characteristics of politics and history is the role that irony plays in the unfolding of events. Even so, it never ceases to surprise. This is because surprise is one of the inherent aspects of irony. All the episodes related to Eduardo Bolsonaro and his scheme to save his father and destroy Brazilian democracy carry this irony.

The more Eduardo Bolsonaro shoots, the more the bullets ricochet, return, and hit his own foot, his father's foot, and the foot of the entire Brazilian right wing. To the point that we are witnessing today, and it is somewhat surprising, the entire right wing is limping further and further. Some sectors have practically had their foot amputated, and others are on the verge of having it.

“Eduardo Bolsonaro is, today, one of Lula’s main campaign assets,” columnist Josias de Sousa ironically remarked in a recent analysis. For the journalist, this is the most evident manifestation of a political paradox unfolding before everyone’s eyes: the actions of the federal deputy, far from strengthening the right wing, are paving the way for his main adversary.

Josias' analysis stems from observing the behavior of the congressman, who went into self-imposed exile in the United States seven months ago. From there, Eduardo continues to launch attacks on Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes and make statements that generate profound instability within the right wing. The most recent was the threat that "without amnesty, there will be no election in 2026." For the columnist, this stance reveals that "the world's biggest magnifying glass is Eduardo Bolsonaro looking at his own navel."

The parallel with his father is inevitable. In 2021, former president Jair Bolsonaro boasted that "if there are no printed ballots, there will be no election." There was an election, and look what happened. Eduardo's attitude is seen as a repetition of a strategy that has already proven to be unsuccessful and detrimental to the Bolsonaro clan's own interests. "You can accuse Eduardo Bolsonaro of anything, except a lack of consistency. He remains as reckless as he was seven months ago," says Josias.

The impact of these actions is to deepen the pit in which the Brazilian right finds itself. While Eduardo tries to appear "full of himself," he exposes the "emptiness he has inside" and, instead of uniting, fragments. Proof of this came in the form of a reaction from his own brother, councilman Carlos Bolsonaro, who used social media to openly criticize allies such as Tarcísio de Freitas, Romeu Zema, and Ronaldo Caiado. For Carlos, the promise of pardon made by these politicians is "to deceive the innocent," adding more fuel to the fire of internal division.

In this vacuum, Lula's agenda advances with surprising ease. Josias de Sousa argues that the president is taking advantage of the chaos created by Eduardo to reinforce the banner of the "broad front" against what he calls "madness" and the risk of democratic setbacks. Each attack and each threat from the former president's son serves as ammunition for the government's discourse, which is strengthened in its position as a defender of institutional stability.

Meanwhile, the oligarchs of the Centrão, who would like to rid themselves of the "madness of Bolsonaro's sons," find themselves in a delicate position. To avoid directly confronting the father, they are "trying to make the insanity roll down the stairs, step by step." However, their patience seems to be running out. The amnesty agenda has already been left behind, and even the proposal to reduce sentences risks "rolling down the stairs."

The columnist concludes with a note of sadness, lamenting the actions of a federal deputy elected with a significant vote who, instead of working for the country in the Chamber, dedicates himself to "antics against the country in the United States," exercising the "attributions he granted himself as a traitor to the nation." According to Josias de Sousa, the 2026 election will take place, and if Eduardo Bolsonaro continues on his current path, he will be paving the way with "little pieces of diamond" for a possible fourth term for Lula. The arrogance that ascended by elevator may be the same arrogance that will lead the opposition to descend, step by step, the ladder of power.