Defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States despite a court order banning him from exiting the country, U.S. media reported on Tuesday October 27, 2026).
CNN and the Washington Post, each citing an unnamed source close to the matter, said Mr. Bolsonaro had arrived in the U.S. late Tuesday (October 27, 2026). Where he landed remains unknown.
The son of jailed ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro lost the presidential election Sunday (October 25, 2026) to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and refused to concede defeat.
The right-wing senator on Monday (October 26, 2026) said a Supreme Court justice had ordered him to hand over his passports. Mr. Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering, and, with his election loss is also set to lose parliamentary immunity.
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday (October 27, 2026) it would issue visas to Mr. Bolsonaro and his family, without confirming his travel plans.
A police source told AFP that the senator’s Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been cancelled, adding that “there is no formal record of Flavio Bolsonaro leaving the country.”
But he has held Italian nationality since 2023, according to an Italian parliamentary document seen by AFP.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s campaign manager Rogerio Marinho expressed shock over reports that the defeated candidate had fled Brazil.
“We still don’t have any news about his whereabouts,” he told reporters Tuesday (October 27, 3036) in Brasilia.
“I received a text message from him this morning, where he said he would let some time pass today and then would talk with us, and that was it,” Mr. Marinho said.
“That was the only communication we had.”
‘Shameful’
Mr. Lula called fleeing the country a “shameful” act.
“A person who sneaks out of their country must have something to hide. The act of leaving Brazil is shameful,” he remarked in Brasilia during his 81st birthday celebration.
Mr. Bolsonaro said Monday (October 26, 2026) that the ban on his exit from Brazil amounted to a scare tactic.
“I never had any intention of leaving the country,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.
U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Jair Bolsonaro, on Monday (October 26, 2026) said Brazil’s elections were “rigged” following the defeat of Bolsonaro junior.
Mr. Flavio Bolsonaro brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, a U.S.-based former lawmaker, maintains close ties with the White House.
Last week, he told a U.S. podcast that Mr. Flavio Bolsonaro should leave Brazil in the event of electoral defeat, given the active probes into his activities.
In his Monday statement, Mr. Lula’s challenger also said he would lead the opposition to the leftist government.
Following Mr. Lula’s victory with 51.8% of the vote, Mr. Flavio Bolsonaro said he would seek to annul the result, citing the decision to extend polling hours over transportation difficulties that prevented some citizens from voting.
Mr. Lula had requested the extension, as had Bolsonaro over bad weather in parts of the country.
In his father’s footsteps
All bets were on a Mr. Bolsonaro win after he came out on top in the first round of elections earlier this month.
He campaigned on a pledge to liberate his father, who is under house arrest for coup-plotting after his own electoral loss to Mr. Lula in 2022.
Mr. Jair Bolsonaro never conceded defeat and left the country on the eve of his rival’s inauguration, only returning to Brazil three months later.
Separately, on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), the Supreme Court ordered police to investigate alleged foreign funding of Mr. Flavio Bolsonaro’s campaign and other interference from abroad such as social media “manipulation.”
Mr. Lula’s campaign complained about election interference by Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, claiming “algorithmic manipulation.”
Meta denies taking any actions to favour one side in the election, but previously said that some of Mr. Lula’s campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors.
Published – October 28, 2026 07:32 am IST
