Flavio Bolsonaro, the defeated candidate in azil's presidential election, has called himself his country's "rightful leader" after arriving in the United States, claiming electoral fraud without providing evidence.
According to Reuters, upon arriving in Miami on Wednesday, October 28, Mr. Bolsonaro accused the Supreme Court and azilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of an "electoral coup." He left azil in defiance of a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. He initially described himself as "president-elect" on the social network X, but later deleted it and used the title "rightful leader."
Mr. Lula won the runoff election with a margin of about 4.5 million votes. The result has been accepted by azil's electoral high court, world leaders, international observers, and even Bolsonaro's own party.
Mr. Bolsonaro is citing a two-hour voting extension as grounds to annul the election results. The extension was granted after Lula's campaign complained about voting obstacles in northeastern states. Analysts say his request has little chance of success.
The BBC reported that Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina by land with his family and then flew to Miami on a private jet. He thanked Argentine President Javier Milei for travel assistance and Donald Trump for issuing visas. He said he left the country to protect his family and did not "flee."
Donald Trump declined to comment on Bolsonaro's claims but called the election "very strange." The order to surrender Bolsonaro's passports was linked to a money-laundering investigation, an accusation he denies. His term as a senator and his parliamentary immunity end in late January. Source: Reuters, BBC
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