Bolsonaro Exit: Defeated Candidate Flies to Ecuador

Flávio Bolsonaro, the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate, left the country with his wife and two daughters on Wednesday. The family traveled to Argentina and then boarded a private plane bound for Ecuador. They received United States visas from the Trump administration the day before their departure.

Argentina's migration authority confirmed the group crossed into the country at 10:50 p.m. local time. They entered through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, which connects Brazil to the Argentine province of Misiones. The agency stated the travelers possessed valid documents and faced no legal barriers to entry. At 11:30 p.m., the four boarded a charter flight operated by Baires Fly S.A. The filed flight plan showed the aircraft departing for Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The move occurs amid a diplomatic rift between Brazil and Argentina. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who turned 81 on Tuesday, spoke to supporters in Brasilia about the exit. He said he regretted Bolsonaro's decision to leave rather than staying to clear his name. "I regret that he left Brazil, because he could have stayed here and proven that the accusations are not true," Lula said. He described the act of leaving as shameful.

Bolsonaro’s departure coincided with a deadline set by Brazil’s Supreme Court. The court ordered him to hand over his regular and diplomatic passports on Monday. The deadline to surrender the documents expired at noon on Tuesday. Allies indicated late Tuesday that he also holds an Italian passport, though it remained unclear if he complied with the Brazilian order. Neither the Brazilian government nor Bolsonaro’s representatives replied to requests for comment.

United States President Donald Trump reacted to the news early Wednesday from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He said he would approve Bolsonaro's visit to the United States and called the family fine people. Trump characterized the recent election as strange and terrible, noting that he did not endorse the results. This stance contrasts with the Organization of American States and global leaders, who congratulated Lula on his reelection victory of approximately 4.4 million votes in the final round.

The family left just hours after the passport deadline passed. Flávio Bolsonaro had previously shared a video showing him receiving the court order outside his father's home. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. Jair Bolsonaro had previously fled to Florida after that defeat before returning three months later.