US to Issue Visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and His Family as His Whereabouts Remain Unclear

The United States says it will issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, amid multiple reports that the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate has left the country following Sunday's election. His whereabouts have not been independently confirmed.

On Tuesday a senior US administration official said the State Department would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the country.

Bolsonaro lost Sunday's election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by more than four million votes, just three weeks after winning the first round. While his Liberal Party has recognised Lula's victory, Bolsonaro himself has refused to concede. Lula won just over 51 percent of the valid votes, approximately 64.2 million, compared with more than 48 percent, nearly 59.8 million, for Bolsonaro.

The visa announcement comes as Bolsonaro faces multiple investigations, including allegations of money laundering and tax evasion, which he denies. On Monday Brazil's Supreme Court ordered him to surrender his passports within 24 hours and barred him from leaving the country.

The order followed comments by Bolsonaro's brother Eduardo, who lives in self-imposed exile in Florida, suggesting Flavio should leave Brazil if he lost the election.

In a video released that day, Bolsonaro said federal police officers had stopped him outside the home of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, and ordered him to surrender his passports. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup following his own defeat by Lula in the 2022 election.

In the video Flavio Bolsonaro said: 'I never thought about leaving the country. I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this aberration.' He described the order as an attempt to intimidate him.

On Tuesday Brazilian media reported that Bolsonaro had left for the United States. His campaign manager, his lawyer and other political allies had earlier said they did not know his whereabouts.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on Lula's victory, suggesting on Monday without evidence that the election was 'rigged'. He returned to the subject at a campaign rally in Texas on Tuesday night, accusing Democrats of election fraud. He said: 'Brazil is also doing a good job of it, aren't they? Did you see that? I didn't take sides, but it didn't look very good.'

Lula criticised Bolsonaro's reported departure during celebrations for his 81st birthday in Brasilia on Tuesday. He told supporters: 'Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear.' He said Bolsonaro could have stayed and proven the accusations against him were not true, and that he regretted his departure. Pointing to the Bolsonaro family's close ties to the Trump administration, Lula said: 'Brazil is their second home; their first home is the United States.'