WorldPosted at: Oct 29 2026 5:22PM


Flavio Bolsonaro declares himself rightful leader of Brazil after arriving in US

Miami, Oct 29 (UNI) Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has declared himself the country’s rightful leader after arriving in the US, following his defeat by incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Sunday’s presidential run-off.
Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump, landed in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning aboard a private jet after travelling through Argentina and Ecuador. He left Brazil despite a Supreme Court order requiring him to surrender his passports amid investigations into alleged financial crimes.
The right-wing senator is suspected of being involved in a money-laundering scheme linked to fraudulent deductions from pension payments. He is also facing a separate investigation into alleged financial misconduct. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing and has described the cases as politically motivated.
In a lengthy letter posted on X, Bolsonaro described himself as “the leader of Brazil” and claimed the election had been rigged. An earlier version of the letter referred to him as the country’s elected president.
“The illegitimate and illegal actions of Lula’s former lawyer allowed a mathematical impossibility to become reality, with Lula gaining more than 10 million votes between the first and second rounds,” he wrote.
Bolsonaro was referring to Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, who previously represented Lula. Zanin ordered voting to be extended from 5pm to 7pm on Sunday following complaints from Lula’s campaign about disruptions to public transport. The decision caused confusion at polling stations that had already closed, prompting Zanin to clarify that the extension applied only where voting was still under way.
Bolsonaro provided no evidence to support his allegations of electoral fraud. Lula won the run-off by around 4.4 million votes, while Brazil’s election authorities said 34,393 ballots were cast after the original 5pm deadline, including votes from people already waiting in queues when polls were due to close.
Bolsonaro had received more votes than Lula in the first round on October 4 but was defeated in the run-off. He vowed to lead the opposition from abroad, saying he had not intended to leave Brazil but knew “exactly where this is heading”.
“This is the classic playbook of any coup d’état,” he added.
Lula condemned Bolsonaro’s departure as “a shameful act”, arguing that “those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear”.
Bolsonaro’s departure comes as investigations into his alleged financial activities continue. A separate case concerns alleged links to a Brazilian lawyer accused of laundering more than USD$1bn through a fraud scheme. Bolsonaro has denied doing business with the lawyer.
His father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of plotting a coup to overturn his defeat by Lula in the 2022 election. The elder Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing and has described the case as politically motivated.
Trump has repeatedly defended the Bolsonaro family, previously calling the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro a “witch hunt” and demanding that the case against the former president be dropped. The US president has also suggested that Brazil’s election may have been rigged.
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