Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has reportedly left the country for the United States despite a court order restricting his travel, deepening uncertainty over his whereabouts following Sunday’s disputed election.
US media outlets reported on Tuesday that the 45-year-old senator was travelling to Florida, although Brazilian authorities said they had no official record of his departure.
CNN cited an anonymous official familiar with the development, while other American media organisations also reported that Bolsonaro was heading to the United States.
A Brazilian police source told AFP that both his regular and diplomatic passports had been cancelled following the travel restriction.
However, Bolsonaro has reportedly held Italian citizenship since 2023, according to an Italian parliamentary document reviewed by AFP.
The US State Department subsequently announced that visas would be issued to Bolsonaro and his family but did not confirm whether he had entered American territory.
The reports emerged two days after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva secured re-election with 51.8 per cent of the vote.
Bolsonaro, who had been widely expected to win following his first-round performance, rejected the outcome and announced plans to challenge the results.
He argued that the decision to extend voting hours because of transportation difficulties had undermined the election.
However, both Lula and Bolsonaro had sought extensions in different circumstances, including disruptions caused by severe weather.
Bolsonaro’s campaign manager, Rogerio Marinho, expressed surprise at reports that the candidate had left Brazil.
“We still don’t have any news about his whereabouts,” Marinho told journalists in Brasilia.
He said his only communication with Bolsonaro on Tuesday was a text message indicating that the senator would speak with his team later.
The reported departure also contradicts Bolsonaro’s earlier public assurance that he intended to remain in Brazil.
In an Instagram video on Monday, he described the travel restriction as an intimidation tactic and pledged to surrender his passports.
Bolsonaro faces investigations involving alleged corruption and money laundering, while his electoral defeat could affect his parliamentary immunity.
His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, previously left Brazil shortly before Lula’s inauguration following his own defeat in the 2022 election.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, an ally of the Bolsonaro family, alleged on Monday that the Brazilian election had been rigged.
Brazil’s Supreme Court also ordered an investigation into allegations of foreign campaign financing and possible external interference, including manipulation through social media platforms.
Lula’s campaign accused Meta of algorithmic interference, allegations the technology company denied.
Meta acknowledged that some campaign advertisements had previously been deactivated because of technical errors.
With Bolsonaro’s location still officially unconfirmed, attention has shifted to whether Brazilian authorities can enforce the travel restriction and how the continuing electoral dispute will develop.
Ezeana Emmanuel
