Flavio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil; US grants visas to family

· Politics · Brazil · United States

Brazil's defeated right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has left the country after refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports in a money-laundering probe. The US State Department said it would grant visas to him and his family. President Lula called the departure "shameful." The episode comes as markets pressure Lula to name a finance minister seen as fiscally disciplined after the election result sparked a selloff, and allies have accepted the outcome.

Why it matters：It tests Brazil's institutions and a delicate transition of power, and sets up an unusual US role in sheltering a prominent foreign politician amid Lula's fiscal challenges.

Key points

  • Brazil's Supreme Court had ordered Bolsonaro to hand over his passports in a money-laundering probe.
  • The US said it would issue visas to him and his family.
  • The episode follows a market selloff and pressure on Lula to pick a fiscally credible finance minister.

Sources (original reporting)

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