Flávio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil after election defeat - whereabouts unclear

After his defeat in the presidential election in Brazil, politician Flávio Bolsonaro fled abroad despite a court ban on leaving the country. However, there was uncertainty about his whereabouts on Wednesday: According to Argentine information, he traveled via Argentina to Ecuador. According to the website FlightAware, his plane was en route to Miami.

US media had previously reported that the defeated presidential candidate had arrived in the USA. The USA declared its willingness to accept Bolsonaro and wanted to issue him and his family visas.

According to the website “Flightradar24”, the flight took off at night from the Argentine city of Puerto Iguazú in the northeast of the country, near the Brazilian border. The plane landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Wednesday and took off again less than an hour later. Bolsonaro's final destination was unknown, but according to the website FlightAware the plane was headed for Miami.

US media had previously reported that Bolsonaro had arrived in the United States. As reported by CNN and the Washington Post, Bolsonaro landed in the USA late on Tuesday evening (local time). There had been speculation throughout the day about Bolsonaro's whereabouts.

US State Department sources said Washington was ready to accept the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate and his family. “The State Department will issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the United States,” a senior ministry official said on Tuesday. He did not say whether Bolsonaro had already arrived in the United States.

According to media reports, Bolsonaro wanted to apply for asylum in the USA. His brother Eduardo already lives in the United States.

The Supreme Court in Brasília had actually banned the 45-year-old from leaving the country and declared his passports invalid. However, Bolsonaro has also had Italian citizenship since 2023.

Brazilian police are investigating Bolsonaro on suspicion of corruption and money laundering in connection with the financing of the film “Dark Horse” about his imprisoned father Jair Bolsonaro. The latter was sentenced to several years in prison for attempting to overthrow Lula after his election defeat in 2022.

In the case of Flávio Bolsonaro, a Supreme Court judge also ordered an investigation into possible foreign campaign aid.

Bolsonaro's term as senator ends in January, meaning he will lose his parliamentary immunity. In the presidential runoff election in Brazil on Sunday, incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 51.8 percent of the vote, while Bolsonaro received 48.2 percent.

Bolsonaro's Liberal Party then admitted defeat. However, he himself did not recognize her. Bolsonaro accuses Lula of abuse of power and announced legal action.

The Bolsonaro family is politically close to US President Donald Trump. After the results were announced, Trump expressed doubts about Lula's election victory. It looks like a “rigged election,” said the US President. After Bolsonaro's victory in the first round of elections, Trump spoke of a "very big victory" at the beginning of October.