Flavio Bolsonaro claims presidency from US, edits letter after backlash

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro published a letter on Wednesday from the United States, initially declaring himself the "true elected president of Brazil" before editing the document to instead call himself the "leader of Brazil" after backlash. The defeated candidate claims electoral fraud, blaming Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin for vote extensions, though the electoral court recorded only 34,000 votes after 5 p.m. He also accuses Justice Alexandre de Moraes of political persecution and denies fleeing, saying he left to lead the opposition from the US. Bolsonaro's claims contradict official results, which declared President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva re-elected with 64.2 million votes, a margin of nearly 4.5 million votes, a result recognized by Brazilian courts, international bodies, and his own party.