Flávio Bolsonaro left Brazil during the night of October 27, after losing the presidential election and announcing that he would be “the leader of the opposition“. According to the Italian publication L'Espresso, he used an Italian passport issued through an emergency procedure, despite the fact that Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had ordered him not to leave the country.
Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina via the “Tancredo Neves“ bridge, which connects the two countries, and from there continued on to Miami. The publication claims that a visa granted with the support of President Donald Trump was waiting for him in the United States. His brother Eduardo Bolsonaro is already in the country.
The Electoral Defeat and Departure
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, requested a review of the result and spoke of fraud on election night. L'Espresso notes that the result was recognized by all major countries, while Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva remained president of Brazil for a fourth time.
According to the report, the judicial investigation against Flávio Bolsonaro is linked to allegations of money laundering and tax evasion. He was supposed to surrender his passport, but he also had an Italian identity document. The passport was issued after his father, Jair Bolsonaro, obtained Italian citizenship in 2020 because of the family’s ancestry.
“I will be the leader of the opposition“, Flávio Bolsonaro said on television.After his departure, he sent a letter to nearly 60 million of his voters and promised to return to continue his political struggle. In the text, he initially described himself as “the true president of Brazil“, but later replaced the wording with “leader of Brazil“.
María Corina Machado Returns to Venezuela
At almost the same time, María Corina Machado announced her return to Venezuela. The 59-year-old founder of “Vente Venezuela“ had made seven unsuccessful attempts to return, and according to L'Espresso, this time she received permission from the administration of Donald Trump.
Machado, the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, announced her return with a brief message on the social network X: “I am here. With you!“ After arriving, she met with journalists but did not directly attack the interim government or call for protests.
New elections in Venezuela are expected to be held in 2027, although there is still no specific date. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said that the vote should be preceded by “an orderly, verifiable and institutional transformation“.
“Elections should solve problems, not create new ones“, Rodríguez said.She presented herself as a politician with the experience to lead the transition, recalling that she had served as deputy minister and minister of foreign affairs, minister of oil and vice president. Thus, Machado’s return marks the beginning of a new political rivalry ahead of the expected elections.
Sources: lespresso.it