Flávio Bolsonaro's passport pledge precedes reported flight to the US

The Spanish report pairs his promise to remain in Brazil with Reuters reporting on his departure, while Argentina denies receiving an asylum request.

Channel: RTVE Noticias ·

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Brasil | Flávio Bolsonaro se fuga a EE.UU. sin entregar su pasaporte tras su derrota electoral

Flávio Bolsonaro said he would surrender his passport and had never considered leaving Brazil. Hours later, according to the report, he was heading to the United States after losing the presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

RTVE Noticias, the news service of Spain's public broadcaster, reports that Brazilian judicial authorities had asked Bolsonaro to hand over the document amid an investigation into suspected money laundering. Its Washington correspondent, Cristina Olea, cites Reuters reporting on his flight. The departure came less than two days after Lula's victory was confirmed, the broadcaster says.

Bolsonaro, a senator representing Rio de Janeiro and a son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, appears in a recorded statement promising to deliver his passport and stay in the country. That footage is followed by a separate clarification from Argentina: a government spokesperson says there has been no request for asylum there. That denial concerns Argentina, not his reported destination in the United States.

The report also considers what the defeat means for the Bolsonaro family's political future. It describes Jair Bolsonaro as being under house arrest and raises Michelle Bolsonaro, Brazil's former first lady, as a possible future leader of the opposition.

The final portion shifts from the family's position to Brazil's international relationships. After recalling Donald Trump's support for Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign, it shows the US president striking a friendly tone toward the victorious Lula: "I like Lula. I get along very well with him."

From São Paulo, correspondent Almudena Ariza places Lula's victory in the context of US strategy in Latin America, China's relationship with Brazil and the country's rare-earth reserves.