Bolsonaro Flees to US Two Days After Presidential Election Defeat

[Anchor]

Defeated by President Lula in Brazil's presidential election, Bolsonaro has fled to the United States with his family. President Lula criticized the move as disgraceful.

Reporter Kim Jeong-gi has the details.

[Reporter]

Bolsonaro, the conservative opposition candidate in Brazil's presidential election, declared that he would not accept the election defeat immediately after the vote, even hinting at legal action.

[Bolsonaro / Brazilian Senator (on the 26th, right after the election): We will investigate Lula's abuse of power and push for his disqualification as a presidential candidate. There should be no exceptions before the law.]

However, just two days after the election defeat, he left Brazil with his wife and two daughters.

Foreign media reported that Bolsonaro and his entourage boarded a private jet bound for the United States via Argentina and Ecuador.

This happened after the Federal Supreme Court ordered him to surrender his passport and banned him from leaving the country due to allegations of money laundering and illegal foreign currency outflows.

Local reports are conflicting regarding his arrival in the United States, but CNN reported that President Trump, who supported Bolsonaro during the election campaign, personally facilitated his trip to the U.S.

[Trump / U.S. President: I think Bolsonaro and his family are good people. I thought the Brazilian election was very strange and terrible. The election has received poor evaluations.]

Brazilian President Lula strongly criticized the departure, calling it disgraceful.

[Lula / Brazilian President: Brazil is merely a second homeland to Bolsonaro's family. The country they truly are loyal to is the United States. It has always been that way.]

Bolsonaro, who was previously sentenced to 27 years in prison on charges of plotting a coup and is currently under house arrest, also fled to the United States immediately after his presidential election defeat four years ago.

It remains unconfirmed whether Bolsonaro's departure to the U.S., following in the footsteps of his past actions, will lead to an asylum application, and his prolonged stay in the U.S. is expected to become a new variable in bilateral relations.

(Video Editing: Kim Byung-jik)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.