Flavio Bolsonaro flees to Miami after Brazilian election loss

Far‑right Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday with his wife and two daughters, days after losing the presidential run‑off.

The family entered Argentina via a land crossing on Tuesday night, then boarded a private Baires Fly plane to Guayaquil, Ecuador, before continuing to the United States, landing at Opa‑Locka Executive Airport.

Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports on Sunday, citing a money‑laundering and currency‑evasion probe involving the senator and associate Willer Tomaz, who had left Brazil for Miami two weeks earlier.

The US State Department confirmed it would issue visas for Bolsonaro and his family. Their departure has drawn criticism from voters in São Paulo, with some describing the move as cowardly.

Political analyst Paulo Roberto de Souza said the flight could spark a power struggle within Brazil’s conservative camp, noting the defeat marks a historic setback for the Bolsonaro family.

Bolsonaro has refused to concede, announcing plans to petition for the election’s annulment despite official results showing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva winning 51.8 % of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48.2 %.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Aibek Skakov / Pexels.