New Delhi, Dec. 26 -- Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday endorsed his son Flavio's bid for the 2026 presidential elections, announcing his backing from a hospital bed after the successful completion of a hernia surgery.

"With the commitment of not allowing the popular will to be silenced, I make the decision to nominate Flavio Bolsonaro as a pre-candidate for the presidency in 2026," the former president said in a letter read out by Flavio in front of a hospital in the capital city of Brasilia.

Flavio, currently a Brazilian Senator, had earlier said that he wants to consolidate his father's legacy by unseating current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential polls, scheduled for October 2026.

The 44-year-...