Flavio Bolsonaro flees Brazil after poll loss to Lula, lands in US after visa granted

Brazil’s opposition leader Flavio Bolsonaro has landed in the United States after loosing the recent election, as per reports. The state department earlier granted US Visas to him and family. Bolsonaro, who had President Donald Trump’s tacit support, had been under investigation for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in Brazil and had been ordered to surrender his passport.

Trump describes Lula’s victory in Brazil as ‘rigged’ 

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has questioned the election results in Brazil and described them as ‘rigged’ after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth historic term, defeating right-wing leader Flavio Bolsonaro in what many called an extremely close contest. “Well, it looked terrible to me. I thought it was terrible-looking. I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election, frankly,” Trump said. “I didn’t take sides, but it was a terrible look for the world. It’s another election – you know, elections have to be indisputable. And it looked very bad to me. I didn’t take sides, I didn’t endorse anybody or anything, but I watched the election and it looks so – so corrupt. So terrible.”

Lula, an 80-year-old former factory worker and leader of the left-wing Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), has been a vocal critic of Trump. The two have often taken digs at each other, but analysts feel that his victory has stopped the right-wing wave in South America. But Trump on Monday said he gets along with the Brazilian leader ‘very well’ even as he didn’t endorse his victory.

“Well, I’m not running Brazil, I’m running the USA. And I just thought that the election was — I like Lula. I get along with him very well. I just think it had a very bad look, the election, the way it was tabulated. You know, with the extension given, it was very strange,” he remarked. According to Brazil’s officials, Lula secured 51.75 per cent votes to defeat Bolsonaro, who is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro received 48.25 per cent votes, giving a tough contest to Lula, who later thanked the Brazilians after he secured a historic fourth term. 

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Brazil’s Lula da Silva closely defeats Trump ally Flavio Bolsonaro to win historic fourth term