Arabic version: تقارير: فلافيو بولسونارو يفر من البرازيل بعد خسارة الانتخابات
According to The Guardian, far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly fled Brazil after losing Sunday’s presidential election to the leftwing incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Metrópoles, citing people close to Bolsonaro’s family, reported that he was on a plane bound for the United States. Allies told the outlet he was expected to land in Florida on Tuesday afternoon and planned to seek political asylum.
Bolsonaro had not been seen since Monday and missed a Tuesday-morning deadline to surrender his passport to federal police. A supreme court justice cancelled the passport minutes after the election result in a ruling connected to a criminal case. Bolsonaro had until 11am to hand over the document but did not appear. He has had Italian citizenship since 2023 and reportedly holds an Italian passport.
Accounts of his route differed. Infobae reported that he had fled to Argentina on Monday night and was expected to board a private jet in Puerto Iguazú, although the aircraft did not depart. Todo Noticias reported that he may have crossed into Argentina on foot and abandoned the flight plan after news of his movements emerged. Federal police were seeking information from Argentinian authorities because there was no record of Bolsonaro passing through a regular Brazilian immigration checkpoint.
Lawmakers from Lula’s Worker’s party asked the supreme court to order Bolsonaro’s arrest and to place his name on Interpol’s Red Notice list. Police are investigating his possible involvement in a money-laundering scheme involving betting companies worth about £680m ($905m). Bolsonaro, who had not conceded defeat, said in a Monday video: “I never thought about leaving the country.”
The reported departure adds uncertainty to the future of Brazil’s far right. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest for attempting a coup, while Eduardo Bolsonaro is in self-imposed exile in the US and has an outstanding arrest warrant in Brazil. Political scientists cited by The Guardian said the situation could create a struggle for leadership within the Bolsonaro movement and the wider right.
