Brazil Summons Argentine Diplomat Over Bolsonaro's US Departure

Brazil has summoned Argentina's senior diplomatic representative in the country to address questions surrounding Flavio Bolsonaro's departure for the United States after losing Sunday's presidential election. The diplomatic move, initiated by Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, comes after the senator traveled through Argentina before reaching Miami, raising tensions between the governments of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Javier Milei.

Government sources told Reuters that Argentina's charge d'affaires, Maria Emilia Cortes, was called in for questioning. However, Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno denied on social media that his government had received a formal request to explain Bolsonaro's arrival in Argentina late Tuesday.

Bolsonaro left Brazil after authorities ordered him to surrender his passports and remain in the country as part of an ongoing legal investigation. The case concerns an alleged money-laundering scheme involving Banco Master and a multimillion-dollar payment from the bank's former head, Daniel Vorcaro.

Investigators are examining whether the payment was intended to finance a film about Bolsonaro's father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing and described the investigation as politically motivated.

During an Instagram livestream on Friday, the senator portrayed himself as a target of political pressure in Brazil, describing his situation as "persecution."

He also accused Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes of making false allegations against him.

"I didn’t leave Brazil, I left for Brazil," Flavio Bolsonaro said during the livestream.

The senator also questioned the integrity of the election's second round, comparing alleged irregularities to illegal goals in football that referees failed to disallow. He did not provide specific evidence supporting those allegations.

Bolsonaro, a senator since 2019, represented his father's political movement as the right-wing Liberal Party candidate. He advanced to the presidential run-off but lost by more than 4 million votes, with Lula securing 51.8 percent of the vote and winning a historic fourth non-consecutive presidential term.

Despite the defeat, Bolsonaro has refused to concede. Although his party acknowledged Lula's victory, the senator alleged electoral misconduct and criticized a Supreme Court decision extending voting hours on election day.

Both campaigns had requested additional voting time for different reasons. Bolsonaro's campaign cited severe weather that delayed voters in some regions, while Lula's party raised concerns about attempts to restrict public transportation. Bolsonaro subsequently argued that the extension disadvantaged areas considered strongholds of the political right.

After arriving in Miami on Wednesday, the senator declared himself Brazil's "legitimate president-elect." He had traveled with his wife and two daughters through northern Argentina before boarding a chartered aircraft that passed through Ecuador en route to the United States.

Bolsonaro thanked Argentine President Javier Milei for assistance with the journey but did not explain what support had been provided. A spokesperson for Milei characterized the departure as a "rescue."

The Argentine presidential spokesperson also defended the senator's departure, saying he had escaped "from the claws of communism, which seeks to imprison all opposition figures".

US President Donald Trump has also expressed support for the Bolsonaro family and questioned the Brazilian election result. Trump suggested the vote was "rigged".

However, after the result became known, Trump declined to "take sides" in the dispute.

Washington previously imposed sanctions and tariffs in response to the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, who rejected his defeat in Brazil's 2022 presidential election. The former president was convicted in 2024 of plotting a coup to prevent Lula from taking office and received a 27-year prison sentence.

Relations between Lula and Milei have remained strained since the Argentine leader assumed office in 2023. Their disagreements have included repeated public criticism, while both South American countries recalled their ambassadors in August following a series of diplomatic disputes.