Lula's defeated rival Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly leaves Brazil, Washington to let him in

Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil’s presidential runoff, reportedly left the country. The US Department of State announced that visas would be issued to Bolsonaro and his family.

The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskOctober 28, 2026, 09:36 AMUpdated: October 28, 2026, 09:55 AM

Lula's defeated rival Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly leaves Brazil, Washington to let him in

A senior US Department of State official announced that US visas would be issued to Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil’s presidential runoff on October 25, and his family. The announcement came after reports that Bolsonaro had left the country following his election defeat.

On Monday, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passports as part of an investigation into money-laundering allegations. Bolsonaro, who denies the accusations, said earlier that day that he had “never considered leaving” the country and would remain in Brazil to lead the opposition.

Flávio Bolsonaro at a press conference by his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro (July 2025)

Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, lost the election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than 4.4 million votes. Bolsonaro’s party, which initially said it would reject the result and seek to annul the election, announced on Monday that it accepted the outcome.

Lula, who turned 81, described Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure from the country as “shameful” and said, “Someone who secretly flees his country has something to hide.” US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, had claimed that the election “again looked like a rigged election.”

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