Senator Flávio Bolsonaro announced a security platform featuring 500,000 new prison places and stricter sentencing, modeled after El Salvador's policies.
Key facts
- •Flávio Bolsonaro plans to build five federal maximum-security prisons in a complex named “Treva”.
- •The U.S. added the Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho to its list of terrorist groups in May.
- •Brazil’s prison population reached 964,074 at the end of 2025, the third-largest in the world.
- •Other candidates, including Renan Santos and Romeu Zema, have also expressed interest in the Salvadoran security model.
- •Senator Sérgio Moro attended the meeting between Bolsonaro and Minister Villatoro.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a Liberal Party presidential candidate, met with El Salvador's justice and public security minister, Gustavo Villatoro, in São Paulo on Sunday. Following the meeting, Bolsonaro announced plans to incorporate security measures modeled after President Nayib Bukele’s policies into his campaign. The proposal includes creating 500,000 prison places over four years and establishing five federal maximum-security prisons.
By the numbers
Proposed Security Measures
Bolsonaro’s plan includes the creation of a separate Ministry of Public Security and the classification of the Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho as narcoterrorist organizations. He also proposed a minimum eight-year sentence for mobile phone theft, citing a belief that current Brazilian legislation is too weak. The candidate stated that parts of his conversation with Minister Villatoro were recorded for use in his television campaign advertising.
Context and Public Security
According to the National Secretariat for Penal Policies, Brazil had 964,074 people deprived of liberty at the end of 2025, marking a 6% increase from the previous year. Public security is a primary concern for 35% of Brazilian voters, ranking higher than healthcare and corruption. While international human rights organizations have reported concerns regarding El Salvador's state of exception, the Salvadoran government maintains that its strategy has successfully reduced homicides.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by MercoPress.
