BRASILIA: President Jair Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States on Friday, 48 hours before his leftist rival, president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was set to take office, saying he had “lost a battle but not the war”.

Bolsonaro, who has barely spoken since losing the election, has not confirmed where he is going, but plane tracking data suggests he is heading to Florida, where his

security staff are already in place. He has repeatedly said he does not want to hand over the presidential sash to Lula at Sunday’s inauguration.

He may also face legal risks from remaining in Brazil as his presidential immunity expires when Lula takes office.

Vice President Hamilton Mourao is now acting president, his press officer said, confirming Bolsonaro had left the country.

“I am in flight, back soon,” Bolsonaro was quoted as saying by CNN Brasil. His press office did not respond to a request for comment. Website FlightAware, which monitors air traffic, showed that the presidential plane departed Brasilia shortly after 2pm local time, bound for Orlando, Florida.

Before takeoff, Bolsonaro delivered a teary-eyed final address on social media in which he ran through the highlights of his time in office, sought to defend his legacy, and tried to inspire his followers into keeping up the fight against Lula.

Some of his base have refused to accept Lula’s victory, believing Bolsonaro’s baseless claims that the October election was stolen. That has contributed to a tense atmosphere in the capital Brasilia, with riots and a foiled bomb plot last week.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2022