The Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro proclaimed himself this Wednesday as the “elected president” of Brazil from the United States, despite having lost the presidential elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and announced that he will lead the opposition from abroad.
In a three-page letter shared on his X account, the politician reported an alleged electoral fraud, accused the judicial authorities of persecuting him, and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for welcoming him and his family, as also reported by the Brazilian newspaper Metrópoles.
“I address the Brazilian people and the international community as the true elected president of Brazil,” he stated at the beginning of the document.
Bolsonaro began by thanking the Argentine president Javier Milei for his "courage, sense of justice, and legality," as well as Trump and the American people for their warm welcome.
The senator described the United States as a land of freedoms and praised the Republican leader, whom he characterized as a strong advocate for freedom of speech.
In his statement, he accused Lula's government of committing fraud in the runoff election on October 25 and particularly questioned the actions of Judge Cristiano Zanin of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), who ordered to extend the voting hours by two hours in certain polling stations.
According to the senator, the decision allowed Lula to increase his vote tally by more than 10 million votes compared to the first round, something he presented as a supposed mathematical impossibility.
The Superior Electoral Court registered 34,393 votes cast after 5:00 p.m., a number that does not explain or change the final difference between the candidates, according to the verification published by Metrópoles.
The politician also denounced an alleged use of public resources and economic power to favor presidential re-election, asserting that these irregularities would warrant nullifying the victory of the ticket made up of Lula and Geraldo Alckmin.
In another part of the document, Bolsonaro stated that the judicial investigations against him are part of a political persecution strategy similar to the one that, according to him, his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, is facing.
“I want to make it clear: there is no arrest warrant against me, because I have committed no crime,” he stated, before describing the legal actions as a supposed witch hunt.
The senator stated that he was not willing to subject his family to the consequences of that conflict and confirmed that he had relocated his relatives to the United States.
"Given the political instrumentalization of Justice in Brazil, I brought my family to the United States, where we are safe," he stated.
Bolsonaro also rejected the notion that his departure from Brazil should be interpreted as an escape.
“I didn’t flee Brazil, I left Brazil”, he asserted, and stated that he intends to become the leader that, in his words, his followers deserve.
The politician compared his situation to that of historical figures who conducted part of their political activities from exile.
Among them, she mentioned José Martí, recalling that he organized the fight for Cuba's independence from New York, and the French general Charles de Gaulle, who led the resistance against the Nazi occupation from London.
He also quoted the Brazilian jurist Rui Barbosa and Venezuelan opposition leaders such as Juan Guaidó, Edmundo González Urrutia, and María Corina Machado.
The senator announced that his departure from Brazil marks the beginning of a new phase of political confrontation with Lula's government.
In the document, he stated that he would speak on behalf of his "60 million voters" and accused the government of having stolen the elections.
He also addressed a message to Brazilian institutions, urging them to restore the balance between the branches of government and to put an end to what he described as the persecution of the opposition.
In addressing the international community, he requested that the political situation in Brazil not be normalized, which he presented as an institutional crisis.
Bolsonaro also called on allied senators, deputies, and governors, especially Rogério Marinho, whom he identified as his candidate to preside over the Senate.
He assured that he will continue to defend his positions from the United States: "That's why, I will lead the opposition from here. I will say what you all cannot say there, and I will take the risks you cannot take," he stated.
The senator announced that in the coming days he will regularly address the Brazilian people and present a strategy to mobilize his supporters through actions that he described as peaceful and legitimate.
In the closing of the statement, he emphasized that he has not abandoned his fellow countrymen and that he will continue his political struggle from abroad.
“I left Brazil, but I did not abandon the Brazilians. This fight did not end on October 25,” he expressed.
Bolsonaro's statements contrast with the official result announced by the Superior Electoral Court of Brazil, which confirmed Lula's reelection with 64,256,232 votes, equivalent to 51.79% of the valid ballots.
Flávio Bolsonaro received 59,826,041 votes, accounting for 48.21%, thus finishing the second round with 4,430,191 votes fewer than the reelected president.
The court also confirmed that the extension of the voting hours was applied to centers that remained open, amid difficulties related to transportation and the organization of the voting process.
The statement comes after Lula won the presidential runoff on Sunday, overcoming the lead that Bolsonaro had secured in the first round of voting.
The defeated candidate refused to acknowledge Lula's victory and questioned the legitimacy of the electoral process, particularly due to the extended voting hours.
His position contrasted with that of his own political organization, as the Liberal Party officially acknowledged the results proclaimed by the Superior Electoral Court through a statement signed by its president, Valdemar Costa Neto.
This Wednesday, Bolsonaro arrived in Miami with his family after leaving Brazil despite a court order that prohibited him from leaving the country and required him to surrender his passports.
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