Why does Flavio Bolsonaro claim to be Brazil's true leader after losing to Lula?

In his first statement after arriving in Miami, Flavio Bolsonaro alleged electoral fraud and called himself the victim of a coup and political persecution. BBC reporter Luis Fajardo said there is no evidence for this: Lula won by more than four million votes, Brazil's electoral authorities back the official result, and even members of Bolsonaro's own conservative camp accept that Lula has been re-elected.

• Bolsonaro is under investigation in Brazil for alleged corruption and money laundering, which he denies.
• The BBC framed the episode as Flavio following in his father's footsteps by losing to Lula and leaving for the US.

▸In their words

“So there's no evidence for what Bolsonaro is describing.” Luis Fajardo · at 3:07 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

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