Bolsonaro Leaves Argentina for Ecuador Three Days After Losing Elections

Brazilian conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family are heading to Ecuador from Argentina, amid media reports suggesting he is traveling to the United States three days after losing the presidential election, thereby defying court orders prohibiting him from leaving the country.

The Argentine National Directorate of Migration stated on the platform X that Bolsonaro, his wife, and his two daughters arrived in Argentina on Tuesday night before boarding a “private flight operated by Breeze Air, bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador.”

According to the same source, Bolsonaro crossed the Argentine border by land and was in possession of “the required documents and faced no legal obstacles.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured approximately 51.8% of the vote compared to Bolsonaro’s 48.2%, according to official results, defeating his rival by a margin of 4.4 million votes.

Bolsonaro refused to concede the result. The 45-year-old right-wing senator, son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, protested the two-hour extension of voting nationwide due to transportation problems in some cities, which was requested by Lula.

Flávio Bolsonaro had also requested that polling stations remain open in certain areas due to heavy rain, but he nonetheless described the voting extension as “unacceptable” and a “dirty trick.”

US media reported on Tuesday that the defeated presidential candidate had left his country for the United States, despite a court order barring him from traveling.

Cable news network CNN and The Washington Post, citing an unnamed informed source, reported that Bolsonaro arrived in the United States late Tuesday, without disclosing where his plane landed.

For its part, the US State Department announced on Tuesday that it would grant visas to him and his family to enter US territory, without confirming his travel plans.

Following his defeat, Bolsonaro said on Monday that a Supreme Court judge had ordered him to surrender his passports, as he is under investigation on charges related to corruption and money laundering. He will lose his parliamentary immunity immediately upon the end of his term as a member of the Senate.

However, he did not hand over his documents, prompting judicial authorities to “cancel his passports,” according to a police source speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that “there is no official record indicating his departure from the country.”

Bolsonaro also holds Italian citizenship since 2023, according to an Italian parliamentary document reviewed by AFP.

Rogério Marinho, director of Bolsonaro’s campaign, expressed shock at reports that the defeated Brazilian candidate had left Brazil.

He told journalists in Brasília, “We do not know where he is,” adding, “I received a text message from him this morning saying he would speak to us later, and that’s all.”

Marinho continued, “That was the only communication we had.”

Commenting on news of Bolsonaro’s departure, Lula said on Tuesday that his rival’s flight to the United States would be “shameful” if confirmed.

The leftist leader added during a celebration in Brasília marking his 81st birthday, “The person who leaves his country secretly must have something to hide. Leaving Brazil in this manner is shameful.”

Bolsonaro had previously affirmed on Monday that being prevented from leaving Brazil was part of “intimidation.”

He added in a video posted on Instagram, “I had no intention of leaving the country. I will surrender my passports and defend myself against this farce.”

For his part, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the Brazilian elections could have been “rigged,” while many world leaders congratulated Lula on his re-election to a fourth non-consecutive term.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, brother of Flávio and a former congressman based in the United States, maintains close ties with the White House.

Bolsonaro said that the order to confiscate his passport was based on a comment made by his brother, who said in an American podcast two days before the election: “If my brother doesn’t win, I support him leaving the country.”

In a separate statement on Monday, he announced he was assuming “leadership of the opposition,” reaffirming his commitment to demanding the annulment of the presidential election results.

Bolsonaro’s defeat came against all expectations, especially after he had led the first round of the election earlier this month.

The younger Bolsonaro had pledged to secure his father’s release from prison if he won the election.

Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father, is currently under house arrest on charges of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula.

At the time, the elder Bolsonaro did not accept his defeat and left the country before returning to Brazil just three months later.

Amid the legal challenges facing Bolsonaro, a judge at Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday an investigation into the possibility of foreign funding for his campaign, pointing to other potential forms of interference, such as “manipulation” via social media networks.

According to a court ruling seen by Agence France-Presse, the judge requested that the investigation cover “the potential source of foreign funds, their movement, and their final destination.”

The judge also ordered an inquiry into allegations of “deliberate irregularities and algorithmic manipulation by internet companies, aimed at supporting or harming specific candidates in the Brazilian electoral process.”

Lula’s campaign had accused the group “Meta” of interfering in the election after content related to him was blocked on its platforms, a claim the company denied, citing that some ads linked to the campaign were removed due to technical errors that were not limited to Brazil.