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Unrest & politics · Politics · Impact 2 Notable

Flávio Bolsonaro says he fled Brazil to the US over 'persecution'

· Brasília, Brazil · single source so far

Brazil's defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro posted a video saying he left for the United States because of persecution. He lost the Sunday runoff to President Lula and gave no details of how he left.

Location
Brasília, Brazil · Brazil live map
Coordinates
15.79°S 47.88°W
Reported
31 Oct 2026, 06:25 UTC
Category
Unrest & politics · Politics
Impact
2 of 5 · Notable
Situation
Brazil politics
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Flávio Bolsonaro says he fled Brazil to the US over 'persecution'

In a video posted on Friday, Brazil's defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro said he left for the United States because of persecution. He lost Sunday's runoff to President Lula and gave no details of how he left. Late Thursday into Friday, Brazil summoned an Argentine diplomat over his flight, a move that threatens to strain relations between Lula and Argentina's President Milei.

  • Bolsonaro landed in Florida early on Wednesday after leaving Guayaquil, Ecuador, and declared himself 'president-elect'. He faces money laundering allegations and had refused to concede.
  • US officials said President Trump ensured Bolsonaro could enter the United States.
  • Trump said he would not 'take sides' in the Brazilian election but called it a 'disgrace', following Bolsonaro's unsupported claim that the vote was stolen.
Updated 31 Oct 2026, 06:38 UTC · Written by Claude from the reports on this page and on the map. Check the linked sources for full details.

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