Paraná Governor Ratinho Junior, a member of the PSD, said he will support Flávio Bolsonaro of the PL in the presidential runoff against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the PT. The decision places him alongside a growing group of former presidential contenders who have opted for Bolsonaro, even as Ratinho’s own party remains officially neutral.¹

Ratinho framed the endorsement as a coordinated effort with Bolsonaro and São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas. “I spoke with Flávio Bolsonaro and with Governor Tarcísio. We will walk together for the future of Brazil,” he wrote on X.¹ Tarcísio, according to the reports, has been working to bring other sitting governors behind Bolsonaro’s candidacy.²

The move underscores a distinction between party posture and individual alliances. The PSD fielded former Goiás Governor Ronaldo Caiado in the first round, where he finished fifth with 2,605,148 votes, or 2.18%. Caiado has since backed Bolsonaro, as have former candidates Romeu Zema and Augusto Cury.¹

Ratinho had once been considered a possible presidential candidate himself, but chose to complete his term in Paraná and support a successor. That candidate, federal lawmaker Sandro Alex of the PSD, finished second in the state governor’s race; Sergio Moro of the PL won in the first round. Sandro Alex has also declared support for Bolsonaro in the runoff.²

For Bolsonaro’s campaign, the endorsements offer visible regional support and a network of state-level allies. For the PSD, however, Ratinho’s decision leaves its formal neutrality intact on paper while exposing how far prominent members may diverge from it in practice.¹