LULA CALLS RIVAL’S ESCAPE SHAMEFUL AS US GRANTS VISAS TO BOLSONARO SON
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spent his 81st birthday lecturing the country about democracy while his defeated opponent fled the nation. Hours after the U.S. State Department confirmed it would issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, Lula told supporters he had just learned his rival had left Brazil.
“Leaving Brazil is shameful,” Lula declared. “Who does not owe does not fear. A citizen who leaves hiding from his country is because he owes something or is afraid of something.” He added that he regretted the departure and that Bolsonaro “could have stayed and proven that the accusations are not true.”
Flavio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro, lost Sunday’s runoff to Lula by roughly four percentage points. Within a day the Supreme Court ordered him to surrender his passports in a money-laundering investigation. He did not. By Tuesday he was gone, reportedly bound for the United States. A senior State Department official confirmed the visas would be issued and that entry would be allowed.
Lula contrasted his own past with the departure. He recalled losing elections to Fernando Collor and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, staying in Brazil both times. He noted that opponents who lost to him, including Geraldo Alckmin and Jose Serra, also remained. When corruption charges landed him in the Lava Jato probe years ago, Lula said he rejected offers to leave the country, surrendered to federal police, and fought the cases from inside Brazil. He is now serving a fourth term.
The contrast is sharper than Lula allows. His father is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting to overturn the 2022 election. Flavio himself faces active investigations and had his passports canceled after missing the court deadline. Supporters of the Bolsonaro family have long argued the cases amount to lawfare designed to sideline the right after electoral losses. Lula’s government has previously blocked visas for U.S. officials it accused of questioning election integrity, while relations with Washington remain strained over tariffs and other measures.
Lula also took a direct shot at the family’s ties to the United States. “Unfortunately, the Bolsonaro family is like that. Brazil is their second homeland. The first is licking the boots of the United States.” The comment came as American authorities prepared to receive the family that Lula’s courts had tried to keep grounded.
The episode leaves a clear picture. A leftist president who survived his own legal battles and returned to power is now using the machinery of the state against the son of his most prominent rival. When that rival leaves rather than wait for the next court order, Lula calls the exit shameful and a sign of guilt. The United States, under a different administration, has chosen to open the door instead.- DTP