SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro said on Tuesday his decision to run for president in 2026 is "irreversible," reaffirming he would challenge President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after suggesting over the weekend he might step aside.
The lawmaker spoke to reporters after visiting his father, former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula.
"I told him this candidacy is irreversible," the younger Bolsonaro said. "And in his own words, 'we will not turn back.' Now it is time to talk to people so we can have the right people on our side."
The senator first announced on Friday that his father backed him for a presidential run, jolting markets that had bet on a more seasoned, market-friendly candidate such as Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas consolidating support on the right.
The benchmark stock index Bovespa and Brazil's currency slipped further on Tuesday as the younger Bolsonaro reaffirmed his presidential bid, paring some losses in midday Sao Paulo trading.
Freitas said on Monday evening he would support Flavio Bolsonaro's candidacy.
The lawmaker thanked the governor and said he understood the market reaction over "concerns" that Lula could remain in office for another four years, while adding his candidacy would now gain traction to challenge the leftist leader.
HARD TO TAKE FLAVIO SERIOUSLY, LULA'S PARTY SAYS
On Sunday, Senator Bolsonaro said there was a possibility he would not "go all the way," adding he could abandon his candidacy "at a price."
He walked back the remarks on Tuesday, clarifying he would only step aside if his father, who had already been barred from public office until 2030 for his conduct during the 2022 election, was released from jail and running himself.
"My price is Bolsonaro free and on the ballot. In other words, there is no price," the senator said.
The sequence of remarks was enough to draw criticism from rivals. The head of Lula's Workers Party, Edinho Silva, said on Tuesday that Flavio's candidacy could not be taken seriously.
"No one launches a candidacy one day and the next day says, 'Look, I can negotiate.' It's not just me - no one would take it seriously," Silva told reporters.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Additional reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Alison Williams and Chris Reese)
