ISTANBUL 

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro endorsed his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, on Thursday as a pre-candidate for the 2026 presidential election while recovering from surgery at a hospital in Brasilia, Reuters reported.

Bolsonaro made the announcement in a written statement read out by Flavio outside the hospital. In the letter, he said he was acting “with the commitment of not allowing the popular will to be silenced,” as he backed his son’s bid for the presidency.

A Supreme Court justice allowed Bolsonaro to leave prison for the medical procedure. He is serving a 27-year sentence after being convicted of plotting a coup. Police officers remained outside his hospital room, and computers and mobile phones were not permitted inside.