Bolsonaro, who fled to the U.S.: “I’m the real president-elect of Brazil”

[Financial News] After losing Brazil’s presidential election and going to the United States, Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro claimed he was the “legitimate president-elect.” As suspicions arose in Brazil and abroad that his trip to the U.S. was an attempt to evade an investigation, he made excuses, claiming that he was instead a victim of election fraud.
According to foreign media reports on the 28th, Bolsonaro claimed in an open letter distributed to reporters that day through an aide that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court had taken away his victory in an “electoral coup.”
He stressed, “I am the elected president,” adding, “The criminals who stole Brazil’s election are members of a criminal organization that established tyranny.” He offered no separate evidence that the election was rigged.
However, Senator Bolsonaro took issue with the voting period being extended by two hours on the 25th, the day of the runoff. A Supreme Federal Court justice appointed by President Roo'Ra extended voting after accepting the Roo'Ra campaign’s claim that voters had been obstructed in the left-leaning northeastern region. Bolsonaro’s point was that the decision was unjustified.
Experts, however, say the extension had little effect, contrary to his claims.
Senator Bolsonaro lost to President Roo'Ra by about 4.5 million votes. According to an analysis of election records by Pedro Burgos, a professor at Insper, fewer than 35,000 votes were cast during the two-hour extension, amounting to only about 0.03% of the total. International election observers also judged the vote to have been fair.
According to local media, after facing criticism over his claim in the open letter that he was the “legitimate president-elect,” Senator Bolsonaro changed the wording to “leader of Brazil.”
He claimed he had left Brazil to protect his family and avoid becoming a victim of the “witch hunt” waged by President Roo'Ra and the Supreme Federal Court.
Senator Bolsonaro, who is under investigation on suspicion of money laundering, secretly left the country after defying a Supreme Federal Court order to surrender his passport.
He denies the criminal allegations. In his letter, he said, “I want to make this clear: I did not flee Brazil,” and claimed, “I only left Brazil; I did not abandon the people.”
President Roo'Ra has criticized Senator Bolsonaro for not staying in Brazil to prove his innocence, calling it “shameful.”

[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Correspondent Reporter