By Sohaib Shams
Flávio Bolsonaro, the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate, has fled to Argentina and is en route to Ecuador with his wife and two daughters, according to Argentina's migration authority on Wednesday.
Border Crossing and Flight
The 45-year-old senator and his family crossed into Argentina at 10:50 p.m. via the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, a primary checkpoint linking Brazil to Argentina's Misiones province. The authority said they held valid travel documents and faced no legal impediments. Shortly after clearing immigration, the four boarded a private charter flight operated by Baires Fly S.A. bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Passport Order and Legal Pressure
Brazil's Supreme Court had ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports, with a deadline that expired at noon Tuesday. It remained unclear whether he complied, though allies said he also possesses an Italian passport. The order came as Bolsonaro faces accusations related to his father's attempted coup after the 2022 election.
Diplomatic Fallout
The move is likely to cause a diplomatic rift between Brazil's reelected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Argentine President Javier Milei, who had campaigned for Bolsonaro. Lula called Bolsonaro's departure "shameful" and said he regretted that Bolsonaro did not stay to prove the accusations false. U.S. President Donald Trump said he would approve Bolsonaro entering the United States, calling him and his family "fine people" and questioning the election's legitimacy.
Family Background
Flávio Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year house arrest sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 loss to Lula. Jair Bolsonaro previously fled to Florida for three months before returning to Brazil.
