Flavio Bolsonaro, who left for the US, declares himself "leader of Brazil"

Flavio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator and presidential candidate of the right-wing Liberal Party, who secretly left for the United States after losing the election, has published a "letter to the Brazilian people" in which he calls himself the "leader of Brazil". The letter appeared on the microblogging platform X on Thursday night. According to media reports, he initially described himself as the "true president" and "president-elect", but later deleted those wording choices.

Claims about the vote

In the letter, Bolsonaro writes that Brazil experienced a "disgusting election fraud". He says the victory of incumbent head of state Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 25 October vote was achieved in violation of the law and was possible only because of a corrupt justice system. He declared that he will lead the fight for democracy in Brazil from abroad and wants to stop Lula from establishing a "dictatorial regime". The letter contains no concrete evidence of fraud. Bolsonaro also thanked the presidents of the United States and Argentina, Donald Trump and Javier Milei, for their support.

Route to the US

Argentine migration authorities earlier said that Bolsonaro, his wife Fernanda and daughters Carolina and Luiza entered the country through the Tancredo Neves border crossing in Misiones province. Reportedly, he then flew from Argentina to Ecuador and from there to Miami. On 26 October, the Supreme Court had barred him from leaving the country and ordered him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports in connection with an investigation into corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. It is not known whether he complied; media say he also holds Italian citizenship. Bolsonaro denies the accusations.

His father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election.

Reaction

Senator Alessandro Vieira called Bolsonaro's attempts to contest the result "ridiculous" and reminded that his own party had recognised it. Senator Randolfe Rodrigues described the letter as an "attack" on the electoral process. Cassio Nunes Marques, president of the Superior Electoral Court, stressed that the election was held in accordance with the law. Several parties issued a joint statement saying Brazil will not tolerate interference in its democratic process.

In the runoff, Bolsonaro received 48.21% of the vote and Lula da Silva 51.79%. Bolsonaro did not recognise the result, but on 26 October his Liberal Party acknowledged defeat.