Flávio Bolsonaro claims leadership of Brazil after defeat and flight to Miami

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami with his wife and two daughters on Wednesday, days after losing the presidential runoff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Shortly after landing, he declared himself Brazil’s rightful leader and refused to accept the result. In an open letter posted on X, Bolsonaro initially called himself the “elected president”.

He deleted that version and replaced it with a statement describing himself as the country’s “leader”. He alleged that criminals had stolen the election and established a tyranny, but supplied no evidence for the claim. Bolsonaro lost to Lula by about 4.5 million votes.

Al Jazeera reported that Lula won 51.8 percent to Bolsonaro’s 48.2 percent. International observers judged the election fair, Brazil’s electoral authority said voting had proceeded normally and in accordance with the law, and Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party recognised the result. The defeated candidate based his challenge partly on a decision to extend voting by two hours.

The extension followed complaints about transport and weather, and both campaigns had sought additional time in different circumstances. An analysis cited by India Today found that fewer than 35,000 votes, around 0.03 percent of the total, were cast during the extension—far below Lula’s winning margin. Bolsonaro left Brazil after the Supreme Court ordered him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports.

The order was connected to investigations involving alleged money laundering, currency evasion and other financial offences, which he denies. He was expected to lose parliamentary immunity when his Senate term ends in February. Bolsonaro said his departure was not a flight from justice or from Brazil, but a move to protect his family.

His journey was routed through Argentina and Ecuador. Argentine authorities said he and his family crossed into the country by land before boarding a private aircraft to Guayaquil. The same aircraft then continued to the Miami area.

The US State Department confirmed that visas would be issued to the family. US President Donald Trump said the United States had given Bolsonaro “a pass” to enter, but declined to endorse his election allegations, calling the vote “very strange”. Brazilian institutions and Lula rejected Bolsonaro’s claims.

Lula described the departure as shameful and said people with nothing to hide should face the consequences. Bolsonaro’s allegations have also been criticised by Brazil’s electoral court and major political institutions. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said the defeat could accelerate a struggle over the future of Brazil’s conservative movement, with São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas emerging as a possible figure in a reorganisation of the right.