São Paulo: Senator Flavio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil for the US after election loss; State Department says visas to follow

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States on October 27, two days after losing Sunday's presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Reuters, citing three sources, reported his departure; a senior US State Department official said the department will issue visas to Flavio and his family and allow them entry into the United States. His exact whereabouts were not immediately clear, though one source close to the family said he had landed in Florida, without saying where.

A departure on the night the passport deadline expired

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered Flavio to surrender his passports within 24 hours as part of a money laundering probe, in which he denies wrongdoing; his passports were cancelled after the deadline lapsed. On Monday he had said he had no plans to flee and would stay to lead the opposition. His Senate term ends in February, when he loses immunity from prosecution. His brother Eduardo, who lives in Texas, had publicly urged him to leave if he lost.

Reactions from Lula and Trump

Lula has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaros to return them to power; after news of the departure, he said: "This is what the Bolsonaro family is like. Brazil is their second nation, the US is their first." Trump said on Monday that Brazil's vote "looked like another rigged election," without presenting evidence; Flavio's party accepted the result on Monday, after he lost by more than 4.4 million votes. A fellow party lawmaker said in a video that Flavio is seeking asylum, but the State Department's account so far mentions only visas and entry, not asylum, and further official clarification is awaited.