MIAMI — Right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who fled to the United States after losing an election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said Wednesday he was the "leader" of Brazil.

 

In a confusing series of statements on X, in which he first called himself the "true president of Brazil" before publishing a different version using the word "leader," Bolsonaro made his first comments since leaving the country.

 

"I am the leader, and the criminals who stole Brazil's election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny," Bolsonaro said in the revised statement, slamming "electoral fraud."

 

"I will lead the opposition from here" in the United States, he added.

 

The candidate had expected to win the tight race against Lula after coming ahead of the leftist president in a first-round vote.

 

In the end, Lula won by around 4.4 million votes.

 

Bolsonaro said the result was a "mathematical impossibility" as Lula's vote tally rose by 10 million from the first round to the runoff.

 

After Lula's poor first round showing, the left was jolted awake and staged a massive mobilization on the streets and online.

 

An AFP fact check showed that between a steep drop in abstention rates and votes that had been cast for third-way candidates, there were approximately 14 million new votes up for grabs.

 

Bolsonaro won 3.7 million more votes than he did in the first round.

 

He also repeated his complaint about a two-hour extension of voting at the last-minute.

 

The extension had been requested by both sides, due to public transport issues and heavy rains. The electoral court confirmed only 34,000 votes were cast in the extra time.

 

Bolsonaro also accused Lula of "an abuse of political and economic power," related to the president's announcements of new social benefits during the campaign.

 

After the election, Brazilian police asked the Supreme Court to order Bolsonaro to surrender his passports, citing a risk that he would flee the country due to ongoing investigations against him.

 

Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday with his family after a stealthy exit from Brazil via Argentina and Ecuador.

 

In his statement he praised Argentine President Javier Milei "for his courage, sense of justice, and commitment to legality."

 

 

He also thanked US President Donald Trump "for welcoming me."

 

He claimed he was the victim of political persecution and a "witch hunt," much like his father.

 

Far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, 71, is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss to Lula.

 

Flavio Bolsonaro compared himself to France's Charles de Gaulle or Venezuela's Juan Guaido, saying, "I am not the first person to have to fight for my country while far away from it."