Flavio Bolsonaro declares himself 'leader of Brazil' despite election defeat

Brasilia: Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential runoff to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, declared himself "the leader of Brazil" in an open letter posted on X, after reportedly travelling to the United States via Argentina using an Italian passport.

In the letter, Flavio, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, alleged electoral fraud without providing evidence, accusing Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) of overstepping the electoral court's authority.

He claimed that the order to extend voting hours was communicated only after the official closing time, resulting in unequal treatment of voters, reports Xinhua news agency.

Lula defeated Bolsonaro by more than 4 million votes in Sunday's runoff. According to Brazilian media, only about 34,300 votes were cast after the original 5 p.m. (2000 GMT) closing time, far fewer than Lula's margin of victory.

The STF ordered voting to be extended until 7 p.m. on Sunday after both presidential campaigns reported difficulty voters faced in reaching polling stations. The ruling ultimately applied only to polling stations that had remained open at 5 p.m., while those already closed were not reopened.

In the letter, Bolsonaro thanked US President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei, denied fleeing Brazil, and said he would lead the opposition from abroad.

Flavio's departure came after STF Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered him to surrender his passports and barred him from leaving Brazil in connection with an investigation into suspected money laundering and illegal transfers of funds abroad.

Earlier on Tuesday, US media, citing a senior department official, reported that the US State Department will issue visas to defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the United States.

"The State Department will issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the United States," the official was quoted as saying by US media outlets.

Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Sunday's runoff with 51.79 per cent of valid votes, defeating Bolsonaro, who received 48.21 per cent, according to results released by Brazil's Superior Electoral Court.

Brazilian media reported Monday that Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports to the Federal Police and barred him from leaving the country.

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