Flavio Bolsonaro declares himself Brazil’s ‘president-elect’ from US, alleges voter fraud in Lula’s victory
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has declared himself country’s “true president” after arriving in Miami, United States on Wednesday, October 28. He alleged electoral fraud in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s electoral victory. “I want to tell not only my 60 million voters but also the Brazilian people as a whole that I am the president-elect, and that the criminals who stole Brazil’s election are part of a criminal organisation that has established a tyranny,” he said.
‘Left for Brazil’s sake’: Flavio’s letter to Brazilians
In a lengthy statement addressed to Brazilians on X, Flavio said he had left to escape what he described as political persecution. “I want to make this clear, I did not flee Brazil, left for Brazil’s sake,” he wrote. Flavio termed October 25 presidential election as fraud and claimed that Lula got over 10 million votes between the first and second rounds which is quite impossible.
Flavio, his family arrived in Miami
Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on Wednesday. In a circuitous journey, Bolsonaro left for Argentina on Tuesday with his wife and two daughters, then travelled to Ecuador, according to Argentine officials and flight data. The 45-year-old senator, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, visited the White House in May, and the Trump administration approved US visas for him and his family this week. Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, also fled to Florida after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula before returning to Brazil three months later.
Brazil’s incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the election receiving 51.75 per cent of the votes against Bolsonaro’s 48.25 per cent. Silva’s victory has halted the conservative wave in South America that saw countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru shift right.
“We managed to convince people that voting was extremely important to safeguard democracy in Brazil. We defeated foreign intervention through digital platforms. Brazil is no one’s backyard. We will change the way we run this country, we will make people participate more in decision-making process,” he after his victory. Following Silva’s victory, celebrations erupted among his supporters. “A historic turning point for democracy,” Edinho Silva, who is the head of Lula’s Workers’ Party, said on social media.
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Flavio Bolsonaro flees Brazil after poll loss to Lula, lands in US after visa granted
