Bolsonaro in Miami: I am the ‘true president-elect’

MIAMI, October 29 — Brazil's defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro declared himself the rightful leader of his nation despite fleeing the country to start an exile in the United States. Upon landing in Florida, Bolsonaro made clear his continued defiance of the leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had just won a decisive runoff election.

"I am the elected president, and the criminals who stole Brazil's election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny," Bolsonaro stated on his X account, accusing those involved of "electoral fraud." However, he later revised his claim, insisting he was merely the "leader" of the opposition.

Leading Bolsonaro's Liberal Party in the Senate, Rogerio Marinho, expressed solidarity with the former candidate, referring to him as a "political exile." However, Marinho did not back up Bolsonaro's allegations of electoral fraud, stating that there was no evidence to support such claims. He affirmed that the Liberal Party could not make that assertion. Marinho emphasized that Bolsonaro was an expression of the right-wing movement in Brazil, and it was true that he was leading the opposition.

The journey of Flavio Bolsonaro to the United States involved a private jet landing at Opa-Locka Executive Airport near Miami. His entry into the country raised eyebrows as he was under investigation in Brazil over alleged corruption and money laundering. With his parliamentary immunity nearing expiration, he had been ordered to surrender his passports, yet he left Brazil anyway, traveling via Argentina and Ecuador before reaching the US.

Bolsonaro's Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been canceled, but he held Italian nationality since 2023, according to Italian documents seen by AFP.

Despite Lula's victory, Brazilian police did not consider him a fugitive. However, there was controversy in neighboring Argentina, where opposition lawmakers questioned how Bolsonaro had managed to transit through their country. Argentinian authorities stated that he had valid travel documents, but opposition lawmaker Agustin Rossi demanded that Chief of Cabinet Diego Santilli provide details to parliament.

One of Brazil's most high-profile fraud cases involves Flavio Bolsonaro and a biopic called "Dark Horse" starring Jim Caviezel as his father, Jair. In May, Intercept Brasil reported that Bolsonaro had negotiated a $24 million deal for the film with banker Daniel Vorcaro, who is currently jailed over one of Brazil's biggest fraud cases.