SAO PAULO (AP) — Flávio Bolsonaro fled with his family to Miami after his defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil's presidential elections.
The 45-year-old ally of U.S President Donald Trump landed in Florida on Wednesday, even after Brazil's Supreme Court labeled him a flight risk due to pending corruption investigations and ordered the seizure of his passports. The U.S. granted visas to Bolsonaro and his family this week.
Here's what to know about the election and Bolsonaro's departure:
Bolsonaro beat Lula in the first round of the election on Oct. 4 by 2.2 million votes, but he lost the runoff on Sunday by double that amount of votes, as abstention rates and invalid votes dropped to historic lows.
Politicians say Lula could have won by more but voters were hampered by bus shortages in Sao Paulo and Salvador, where the president is popular.
Both candidates alleged voter suppression in their strongholds and called for an extension of voting hours beyond 5 p.m. Three minutes before polls were due to close, Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin granted a two-hour extension.
Brazil's electoral court reported that some 35,000 people voted during that expanded window but that the extension did not affect the electoral outcome. More than 128 million people voted in total.
Bolsonaro said he would seek to have the election results annulled, but took no action before he fled.
His own Liberal Party elected six governors, 121 lawmakers and 19 senators in the most recent elections, and accepted all the results Monday evening, including his loss.
“We acknowledge the presidential election result as proclaimed by the superior electoral court,” the Liberal Party said in a statement.
The Carter Center and the Organization of American States sent election observers to Brazil. Neither found irregularities.
Political leaders from around the world congratulated Lula on his win. Notable exceptions included Bolsonaro allies Trump, who said Brazil’s election was “rigged,” and Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who did not comment.
Even Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella, a right-wing Bolsonaro ally, congratulated the 81-year-old Lula, whose term begins Jan. 5.
“In the Colombian presidential campaign, President Lula openly supported Iván Cepeda, and I won. In the Brazilian campaign, I supported Bolsonaro, and Lula won,” De La Espriella said on X. “Neither Lula decides for the Colombians, nor do I decide for the Brazilians. THE PEOPLE DECIDE!”
The electronic voting system in Brazil has rarely been challenged in a meaningful way. Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, claimed — without evidence — there had been electoral fraud in the 2022 presidential election. He subsequently headed an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Lula, his successor.
Minutes after the presidential election results were announced, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the seizure of Flávio Bolsonaro's passports.
The senator is under Supreme Court investigation for the financing of a movie about his father’s life, “Dark Horse,” with allegations that more than $12 million came from a disgraced former banker, Daniel Vorcaro. He is also accused of laundering money and fraudulent use of money intended for senior citizens.
A Brazilian diplomat who was not authorized to speak about the matter publicly told The Associated Press that Bolsonaro used an Italian passport to enter Argentina and — despite considering him a flight risk — Brazil’s federal police were not monitoring him and his family before they fled to Florida.
The same Supreme Court justice led an investigation into Jair Bolsonaro's coup attempt that resulted in the former president being sentenced to 27 years under house arrest.
