Defeated presidential candidate says he left ‘for the sake of Brazil’ following election loss to Lula and court order to surrender passports.
Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has denied that he fled his country after arriving in Miami with his family on Wednesday, days after losing the presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In his first public statement since leaving Brazil, Bolsonaro said: “I did not flee Brazil; I left for the sake of Brazil.” He claimed he departed “from a regime of exception so that I could become the leader my people deserve,” describing himself as a victim of political persecution and unsubstantiated “electoral fraud.” He thanked the presidents of Argentina and the United States, as well as the American public.
Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, landed at Miami’s Opa-locka Executive Airport early on Wednesday morning aboard a private jet, accompanied by his wife and two daughters. The US State Department had issued visas to the family, and President Donald Trump later confirmed that the United States had “gave him a pass to come into the country.”
Bolsonaro Flees Brazil After Lula’s Election Victory:
Bolsonaro’s departure followed a rapid sequence of events after Sunday’s runoff election, in which Lula secured a clear victory recognised by Brazil’s electoral authorities, institutions, international observers and Bolsonaro’s own party. Shortly after the results, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports within 24 hours as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering linked to online gambling. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing and characterised the probe as political intimidation.
Instead of complying, Bolsonaro and his family crossed into Argentina by land late on Tuesday via the Tancredo Neves International Bridge near Foz do Iguaçu. Argentine migration authorities confirmed their entry. They then boarded a private jet in Puerto Iguazú that flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador, before continuing to Miami, reportedly to avoid Brazilian airspace.
In an initial version of his statement, Bolsonaro referred to himself as Brazil’s “elected president.” He later revised the wording to call himself the “leader of Brazil.” He has refused to concede the election result and has repeated claims of fraud that Brazilian courts and electoral authorities have rejected.
Lula Condemns Bolsonaro’s Departure to Florida:
President Lula criticised the departure, stating that “those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear.” Major Brazilian newspapers described Bolsonaro’s self-declaration as the country’s true leader as “coup-mongering.” As a senator, Bolsonaro had enjoyed parliamentary immunity, but he would have lost that protection in January after resigning his seat to run for the presidency.
Bolsonaro’s arrival in Florida, home to a large Brazilian diaspora and a political base sympathetic to the Bolsonaro family and Trump, has heightened tensions between Brasilia and Washington. The episode marks a dramatic post-election development in Brazil’s polarised politics, with the defeated candidate positioning himself as an opposition leader from exile while facing unresolved legal questions at home.