Flavio Bolsonaro insists he is 'true elected Brazil president' despite losing run-off vote

Flavio Bolsonaro has insisted he is the "true elected president of Brazil" despite losing the country's run-off vote to incumbent leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The defeated candidate has flown to the US and thanked Donald Trump and "the wonderful American people for welcoming me".

The 45-year-old landed in Miami on Wednesday morning (local time) after travelling from Argentina on a private jet.

Mr Bolsonaro alleged that in Brazil there has been a "politically-motivated witch-hunt, intended to hold me hostage".

"Faced with the politicisation of the justice system in Brazil, I brought my family to the United States," the right-wing senator said.

He insisted he did not flee the country and left "so I could be the leader my people deserve".

And he said he would "lead the opposition from here".

He made his comments in an open letter shared ⁠with journalists by his allies, Reuters reported.

Mr Bolsonaro has refused to concede following defeat to his rival, widely known as Lula, in Sunday's run-off vote and threatened to attempt to annul the election result.

He was ordered by Brazil's Supreme Court to surrender his passports ​to ​federal police as part of a probe into alleged money laundering, which he denies.

But he instead followed his father, jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, who also fled to Florida after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula.

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(c) Sky News 2026: Flavio Bolsonaro insists he is 'true elected Brazil president' despite losing run-off vote