Flávio Bolsonaro's disappearance deepens Brazil's institutional crisis

Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is reportedly missing after losing Sunday's presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with unconfirmed reports he fled to the United States. A court ordered his passport surrendered amid corruption investigations. Bolsonaro initially refused to concede, citing a two-hour voting extension granted by a supreme court judge, though the extension affected only 0.027% of votes, far below Lula's 4.4 million-vote margin. Police cancelled his passports after he failed to comply, and border checks are underway, with reports he may have traveled to Argentina or the US. The saga highlights a broader institutional crisis, as the judge overseeing Bolsonaro's case, Alexandre de Moraes, is himself implicated in a fraud scandal. Lula faces the challenge of restoring public confidence in Brazil's justice system during his fourth term.