In Brazil, Michelle Bolsonaro becomes the target of heavy criticism from the right wing.

In Brazil, Michelle Bolsonaro has been one of the most talked-about names on social media in recent days, but these conversations are largely critical. According to a report by the Institute for Democracy and Defense (IDD), the former first lady, who was removed from the leadership of the Liberal Party (PL) women's branch and whose Senate candidacy has become uncertain, is facing intense attacks from her own political front. Described as 'friendly fire,' this situation has brought deep cracks in the Bolsonaro camp to light and elevated tensions within the party to a new level.

Analyses on social media platforms show that Michelle Bolsonaro's name has been mentioned over 175,000 times since the middle of last week. The main trigger for this sudden surge was Michelle posting videos in which she made statements directed at her stepson and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. By directing harsh criticism in these videos, the former first lady caused serious discomfort within the Bolsonarism movement and ignited a family feud that could damage Flávio's presidential campaign.

Monitoring among high-profile political figures revealed that Michelle was on the agenda with approximately 5,000 posts throughout the week, receiving 46.4 million interactions. More than half of these interactions came from right-wing and far-right political actors. These data demonstrate that the discussion is being driven largely by the ruling bloc and its supporters rather than the opposition or the general press, laying bare how even within her own base, Michelle has caused a rift.

The dominant narrative within the right wing has focused on concerns that the distance between Michelle and her stepson Flávio could negatively impact election results. The report views the former first lady's attempt to pursue her own political project independent of her stepson as a 'political mistake,' arguing that it will weaken the Bolsonaro family and benefit their rivals, particularly Lula's campaign. Considering that Michelle leads in public opinion polls for the Senate candidacy, it is assessed that with this move she is also risking her own political future.

Behind the scenes of the process, it is claimed that the former first lady, influenced by 'bad advisers,' attempted to weaken Flávio; in this context, the names of Senator Damares Alves and Federal Deputy Nikolas Ferreira stand out. On the other hand, Ciro Gomes, seen as the main architect of this crisis and who made an alliance with PL support for the Ceará state governorship, interestingly remained completely outside this digital fight. Despite being the name that lit the fuse of the crisis, posts about Ciro Gomes constituted only 5% of the total conversation, showing that attention had focused on a different point.