Romeu Zema attacked by Carlos Bolsonaro as he distances from Flávio Bolsonaro

Romeu Zema, former governor of Minas Gerais and pre‑candidate of the Novo party for Brazil’s 2026 presidential race, faced a public rebuke from city councilor Carlos Bolsonaro. In a post on X, Carlos called Zema "cynical, low, opportunistic and ungrateful" after Zema released a video denying any close relationship with Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, noting that he was never close to the senator and had only interacted with the Bolsonaro family while he was governor.

Separately, Zema met with foreign ambassadors in New York, where he praised El Salvador’s security model and urged Brazil to adopt similar harsh measures against organized crime, labeling the nation’s drug‑related violence a "civil war" that claims 50,000 lives annually. He also criticised the former PT‑led state government of Minas Gerais for allegedly defaulting on loans and outlined a platform of privatizations, pension and administrative reforms, and a reduction of interest rates from 14.5% to around 7%.

Both events highlight growing tensions within Brazil’s right‑wing, as Zema seeks to appeal to Bolsonaro supporters while maintaining distance from the Bolsonaro family’s political line.