Brazilian Senator Bolsonaro Declares Himself 'True Elected President' After Fleeing to US
Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro declared himself the "true elected president of Brazil" in a manifesto published Wednesday after fleeing to the United States, following a Federal Police request to surrender his passport. The senator, who lost the runoff by 4.4 million votes to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, claimed electoral fraud and alleged political persecution by Brazil's Supreme Court. He announced plans to lead the opposition from abroad through "peaceful and legitimate means." Bolsonaro thanked former President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei for support. He stated no arrest warrant exists against him and framed his departure as a strategic move to continue political leadership, comparing himself to historical exiled figures.