Flávio Bolsonaro calls himself 'leader of Brazil' after election loss

ByVanessa Buschschlüter Latin America online editor.

Key points

• His younger brother, Eduardo, has been in self-imposed exile in the US since March 2025, saying he was the victim of political persecution.
• In his letter, Bolsonaro additionally addresses his departure from Brazil – which caused confusion after he disappeared for more than 24 hours.
• After a brief refuelling stop in Ecuador, it afterwards emerged that he had gone throughout the land border to Argentina, and from there flew on to Florida.
• According to While Flávio Bolsonaro, he planned to lead the opposition from the US, it was not clear how he planned to do that.
• And on Thursday, Trump remarked to journalists that "the election was a very great embarrassment to the people of Brazil".

Meanwhile, the defeated candidate in Brazil's presidential election, Flávio Bolsonaro, has referred to himself as "leader of Brazil" in a letter he published on social media after leaving the country for the United States.

Bolsonaro lost to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in the run-off on Sunday by a difference of 4.4 million votes, but has not conceded defeat.

In the letter, Bolsonaro alleges, without offering evidence, that he was the victim of "electoral fraud" and notes that he will lead the opposition from the US.

He left Brazil on Tuesday after failing to comply with an order to surrender his passports, a decision which Lula described as "a shameful act".

Bolsonaro starts his letter. It he posted on his X account, saying "I address the Brazilian people and the international community as the leader of Brazil".

Nevertheless, he had posted a previous version, that was afterwards deleted, in which he wrote: "I address the Brazilian people and the international community as the rightful president of Brazil."

Both versions repeat the allegation that Bolsonaro first created on election night, that an extension of polling hours on Sunday had benefited his rival.

In the letter, he notes it was "an electoral fraud unfolding before my eyes".

For context, the extension was requested by both Lula's and Bolsonaro's campaign teams, and the head of Brazil's electoral authority has remarked that the vote proceeded normally and in full accordance with the country's laws and constitution.

Meanwhile, an analysis of election data conducted by BBC Brazil and BBC Verify has additionally identified that only around 34, 000 individuals voted during the extended hours – far lower than the 4.4 million votes that separated Lula from Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro left after failing to hand in his passports to police – in defiance of a Supreme Court order. It had been issued as part of an investigation into alleged funds laundering.

He has not been charged as part of the funds laundering probe and denies any wrongdoing, calling the investigation a "politically-motivated witch hunt".

Bolsonaro continued that he had never intended to leave Brazil, but argued that he was the victim of "political persecution".

He concluded the letter by saying: "I left Brazil but I haven't abandoned Brazilians".

His party recognised the election result and while some of its politicians have described Bolsonaro as a "political exile", the Liberal Party's leader Rogério Marinho stated on Wednesday that "there is no evidence" of the electoral fraud that Bolsonaro alleges took place.

It is additionally not yet clear where Bolsonaro intends to stay or for how long.

His younger brother, Eduardo, has been in self-imposed exile in the US since March 2025, saying he was the victim of political persecution. The two siblings posted a photo of themselves holding a Brazilian flag on Wednesday.

In practice, the Trump administration has provided visas for Flávio Bolsonaro and his family but did not say what kind of visas they were.

For context, the US president did not explicitly endorse Bolsonaro in the run-up to the election and remarked to journalists he "won't get involved" when asked concerning Bolsonaro's allegations of election fraud.

Earlier in the week, he had remarked that "it looked like another rigged election, " without providing any evidence.

Taken together, the developments around flávio Bolsonaro calls himself ' leader of Brazil' after election loss point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.