Brazil’s defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro insisted on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) he is his country’s rightful leader, after fleeing to the United States to start a self-imposed exile.
Mr. “There is no evidence of that. U.S. President Donald Trump’s hard-right administration has strong links to Mr.
Flavio Bolsonaro’s defiance on arrival in Florida signalled continued upheaval for Brazil, where leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won a dramatic runoff election on Sunday (October 25, 2026). Flavio Bolsonaro and his father Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest in Brazil after attempting to overturn his own electoral loss to Lula in 2022. Flavio Bolsonaro’s Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been canceled, but the senator has also held Italian nationality since 2023, according to Italian documents seen by AFP .
“I am the elected president, and the criminals who stole Brazil’s election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny,” Mr. Flavio Bolsonaro said in the statement published on his X account, slamming “electoral fraud. “The Liberal Party cannot make that claim,” he said. A police source told AFP that Mr. officials have requested chief of cabinet Diego Santilli to provide details to parliament, according to opposition lawmaker Agustin Rossi While Argentinian authorities said he was carrying valid travel documents.
However, he distanced himself from Mr. Flavio Bolsonaro’s statement, and refused to back up claims of electoral fraud.
“I will lead the opposition from here,” he said. In a subsequent statement, he revised his claim, saying he is the “leader,” rather than “president.
