Brazil’s right-wing presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost the election, has arrived in the United States, where he intends to remain in voluntary exile. There, he said he is the country’s legitimate leader.
This was reported by France24.
The 45-year-old Bolsonaro arrived in the US on Wednesday. His private jet landed at Opa-locka Airport near Miami. “I am the elected president, and the criminals who stole the election in Brazil are part of a criminal organisation that has imposed tyranny,” Bolsonaro wrote on the social platform X.
He also alleged “electoral fraud”. “From here, I will lead the opposition,” the politician said.
In a subsequent statement, Bolsonaro slightly revised his words, calling himself a “leader” rather than “president”.
US President Donald Trump’s far-right administration has close ties to Bolsonaro and his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest in Brazil after attempting to overturn the results of the 2022 election, which he lost to Lula.
Trump reiterated his view that Brazil’s election was “very strange”, but told journalists that he “will not interfere” in Flávio Bolsonaro’s claim to the presidency.
Details of how Bolsonaro — accompanied by his wife and daughters — made it onto US territory are still being clarified.
Back home, he is under investigation over alleged corruption and money laundering. His parliamentary immunity was nearing its end. A police source told AFP that Bolsonaro’s Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been cancelled.
At the same time, according to documents seen by the outlet, the senator has also held Italian citizenship since 2023. It later emerged that the politician did leave Brazil after all, reaching the United States via Argentina and Ecuador. In a statement, the US Department of Homeland Security said members of the Bolsonaro family underwent screening that complied with “applicable immigration laws and procedures”.
Read alsoThe US to Grant Visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and His Family
Lula’s Reaction
Lula, who won the election with 51.8% of the vote on Sunday, called Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure a “shameful” act. “A person who secretly leaves their country surely has something to hide,” he said on Tuesday in Brasília during celebrations for his 81st birthday.
However, on Wednesday Brazil’s police released a statement saying he is not considered a fugitive.
As reported earlier, according to Argentina’s migration service, on Tuesday evening Bolsonaro and his family entered Argentina via a border crossing in Misiones Province. They had valid documents to cross the border and later boarded a private jet which, according to the flight plan, was due to head to Guayaquil in Ecuador.
Meanwhile, in Argentina, opposition lawmakers demanded an explanation of how Bolsonaro managed to travel through the country.