Flavio Bolsonaro lands in the US as he flees after election loss; Lula slams him for 'sneaking out' of Brazil

Brazil's defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has arrived in the United States, two US media outlets reported, after he lost Sunday's runoff election. CNN and the Washington Post, each citing an unnamed source close to the matter, said Bolsonaro had arrived in the US late Tuesday (Oct 27). Where he landed remains unknown.

The right-wing senator's arrival came as the US State Department, reportedly, said it would grant him and his family visas, as he faces multiple investigations in his home country.

Lula slams Bolsonaro's 'shameful' escape

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday that it would be "shameful" if his defeated rival had fled to the United States. "A person who sneaks out of their country must have something to hide. The act of leaving Brazil is shameful," the leftist leader remarked in Brasilia during his 81st birthday celebration.

The 45-year-old Bolsonaro lost the presidential election Sunday to incumbent Lula and has refused to concede defeat. On Monday, he said a Supreme Court justice had ordered him to hand over his passports. Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering, and with his election loss is also set to lose parliamentary immunity.

Also read | Brazil's Flavio Bolsonaro flees to US after presidential election defeat to Lula

A police source told AFP that the senator's Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been cancelled, adding that "there is no formal record of Flavio Bolsonaro leaving the country." Notably, he has held Italian nationality since 2023, according to an Italian parliamentary document seen by AFP.

Campaign shock as Bolsonaro flees Brazil

Bolsonaro's campaign manager Rogerio Marinho expressed shock over reports that the defeated candidate had fled Brazil. "We still don't have any news about his whereabouts," he told reporters Tuesday in Brasilia. "I received a text message from him this morning, where he said he would let some time pass today and then would talk with us, and that was it. That was the only communication we had."

Bolsonaro said Monday that the ban on his exit from Brazil amounted to a scare tactic. "I never had any intention of leaving the country," he said in a video posted on Instagram.

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US President Donald Trump, a close ally of Jair Bolsonaro, on Monday said Brazil's elections were "rigged" following the defeat of Bolsonaro junior.

Flavio's brother Eduardo, a US-based former lawmaker, maintains close ties with the White House. Last week, he told a US podcast that Flavio Bolsonaro should leave Brazil in the event of electoral defeat, given the active probes into his activities.

Following Lula's victory with 51.8 per cent of the vote, Bolsonaro said he would seek to annul the result, citing the decision to extend polling hours over transportation difficulties that prevented some citizens from voting. Lula had requested the extension, as had Bolsonaro over bad weather in parts of the country.