Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday criticised defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro for leaving the country after his election loss.
The comments came after US officials confirmed that Flávio Bolsonaro and his family would receive American visas, allowing them to enter the United States following his defeat in Sunday’s presidential election
Lula called the move “shameful” and said that his rival should have stayed to defend himself against allegations.
A senior US State Department official told the Associated Press that visas would be issued to Bolsonaro and his family but did not reveal whether they had already travelled or were preparing to leave Brazil.
A Trump aide, Simon Levy, separately claimed on social media that the US administration had authorised political asylum for Bolsonaro. “Lula has followed the advice of former Mexican President, turning his government into an increasingly authoritarian regime that sought to imprison Bolsonaro,” he wrote in the post.
Deep Dive
Did Flávio Bolsonaro leave Brazil for the United States?
Why did Lula call Flávio Bolsonaro leaving Brazil shameful?
Why was Flávio Bolsonaro ordered to surrender his passports?
Also read: Flavio Bolsonaro's whereabouts unclear amid reports Brazil's Senator fled to the US
What did Lula Da Silva say?
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Flavio Bolsonaro's whereabouts unclear amid reports Brazil's Senator fled to the US
What did Lula Da Silva say?
{{/usCountry}}Lula said he had just learned that Bolsonaro had left Brazil and argued that the senator should have remained in the country to prove his innocence in ongoing investigations.
“Leaving Brazil is shameful,” Lula said, according to Reuters. He added, “I regret that he left Brazil. He could have stayed and proven that the accusations are not true.”
Lula said Bolsonaro’s departure reflected the family’s relationship with the United States. Lula Da Silva further criticized his family and said, “This is what the Bolsonaro family is like Brazil is their second Nation, the US is the first.”
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Bolsonaro to leave Brazil after refusing passport order
Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure followed a Supreme Court order requiring him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports. The deadline to comply expired Tuesday afternoon, but authorities had not immediately confirmed whether he had handed over the documents.
The Supreme Court order was issued after Bolsonaro lost the election to Lula by nearly 4.4 million votes. Official results showed Lula receiving more than 64 million votes, compared with fewer than 60 million for Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro had initially said he had no plans to leave Brazil. In a video posted on social media, he said he would defend himself against what he called an attempt to intimidate him. “I never thought about leaving the country,” Bolsonaro said. “I will hand over my passports, and I will defend myself from this aberration.”
However, reports later indicated Bolsonaro travelled to the United States after failing to comply with the Supreme Court order. His spokesperson did not immediately comment on his location.