By Islam El-Sakka
Far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro has reportedly fled Brazil and is en route to the United States after losing Sunday's presidential election to leftwing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Brazilian news website Metrópoles, citing sources close to the politician's family, said Bolsonaro boarded a private plane bound for Florida on Tuesday afternoon and plans to request political asylum.
Flight to Argentina and Ecuador
Argentina's government confirmed that Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters crossed the border into Argentina via the Tancredo Neves International Bridge in Misiones province on Tuesday night. They then boarded a private flight operated by Baires Fly S.A. to Guayaquil, Ecuador, about 260 km southwest of Quito. Argentine migration authorities said the family traveled with valid documentation and without legal impediment.
Lula condemns departure
President Lula, speaking at an event celebrating his 81st birthday in Brasília, called Bolsonaro's flight "shameful." He said: "He who owes nothing, fears nothing. A citizen who sneaks out of his country owes something." Lula also accused the Bolsonaro family of prioritizing allegiance to the United States over Brazil.
Passport cancelled amid criminal investigation
A Supreme Court justice cancelled Bolsonaro's passport minutes after the election result in connection with a criminal case investigating him for possible involvement in a money-laundering scheme worth about £680 million ($905 million) involving betting companies. Bolsonaro had until 11 a.m. Tuesday to surrender the document to federal police but did not appear. He has held Italian citizenship since 2023 and reportedly possesses an Italian passport.
Political fallout and family dynamics
Lawmakers from Lula's Workers' Party have asked the Supreme Court to order Bolsonaro's arrest and place him on Interpol's Red Notice list. The senator's brother, former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, is in self-imposed exile in the US with an outstanding arrest warrant in Brazil. Their father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, is under house arrest for attempting a coup. Political analysts suggest a power vacuum may emerge within the right, with potential leadership shifting away from the Bolsonaro family toward figures such as Senator Michelle Bolsonaro and São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas.
