Bolsonaro Declares Himself Brazil’s Leader

Right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who fled to the United States after losing an election to incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said on Wednesday that he was the “leader” of Brazil.

In a series of posts on Wednesday, Bolsonaro initially described himself as Brazil’s “true president” before revising the statement to call himself the country’s “leader”. 

He also accused those behind Lula’s victory of electoral fraud, without providing evidence to support the claim.

Bolsonaro vowed to direct the opposition from the United States, alleging that the election had been stolen and that Brazil was being subjected to authoritarian rule.

“I am the leader, and the criminals who stole Brazil’s election are part of a criminal organisation that has established a tyranny,” Bolsonaro said in the revised statement, slamming “electoral fraud.”

“I will lead the opposition from here in the United States,” he added.

He had entered the runoff expecting to defeat Lula after finishing ahead of the left-wing president in the first round. 

However, Lula won the final by approximately 4.4 million votes. 

Bolsonaro challenged the result, arguing that Lula’s increase of about 10 million votes between the two rounds was mathematically impossible.

An AFP fact-check found that changes in voter turnout and ballots previously cast for other candidates accounted for approximately 14 million votes available in the runoff. 

Bolsonaro himself secured 3.7 million more votes than he had in the first round.

The senator also questioned a two-hour extension of voting on election day. Both campaigns had requested the extension because of public transport disruptions and heavy rainfall. 

The electoral court reported that only 34,000 votes were cast during the additional period.

He further accused Lula of abusing political and economic power by announcing new social benefits during the campaign.

Following the election, Brazilian police asked the Supreme Court to order Bolsonaro to surrender his passports, citing concerns that he could leave the country while investigations involving him remained ongoing.

Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday with his family after leaving Brazil through Argentina and Ecuador.

In his statement, he thanked US President Donald Trump for receiving him and praised Argentine President Javier Milei for what he described as his courage, sense of justice and respect for the law.

He also portrayed himself as a victim of political persecution, comparing his experience to that of his father, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

The elder Bolsonaro, 71, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula.

Flavio Bolsonaro compared his situation to those of former French president Charles de Gaulle and Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido, arguing that political leaders could continue fighting for their countries while living abroad.