Flávio Bolsonaro passports: police order surrender after runoff loss

Key takeaways

• Senator Flávio Bolsonaro says Brazil's Federal Police told him to surrender his passports on October 26, a day after he lost the presidential runoff to Lula.
• Reports citing the ruling say Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes revoked his passports, including a diplomatic one, in a money-laundering probe.
• U.S. President Donald Trump said the vote "looked like another rigged election," without providing evidence.
• Vice President Geraldo Alckmin called Trump's remarks "totally wrong" and "unfounded"; Bolsonaro's Liberal Party later said it recognizes the result.

Flávio Bolsonaro said on Monday that Brazil's federal police ordered him to surrender his passports and barred him from leaving the country, a day after he lost the presidential runoff to Lula. Hours later, Donald Trump said the election looked "rigged," offering no evidence.

Flávio Bolsonaro passports: what happened

In a social media video on October 26, Bolsonaro said officers approached him on a street in Brasília after he visited his imprisoned father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, and told him to turn in his passports, according to Reuters, which published the report at about 20:37 UTC. He said he would comply and denied any plan to flee. "I never had any intention of leaving the country," he said, adding that he would defend himself against what he called a "travesty."

Bolsonaro claimed, without providing evidence, that the request stemmed from a ruling by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Reuters reported. He said the ruling was based on remarks by his younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who said on a podcast the previous week that Flávio should leave the country if he lost to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA, citing the G1 news portal and other reports on the ruling, said Moraes revoked all of the senator's passports, including his diplomatic passport, gave him 24 hours to surrender them, and barred him from contacting a lawyer who is also a defendant. The case concerns alleged money laundering involving companies and online sports betting. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing. Brazil's Supreme Court and Federal Police did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Police are also investigating him in a separate preliminary probe into alleged corruption linked to the financing of "Dark Horse," a biopic about his father, AFP reported. He denies those allegations as well.

Trump calls the runoff "rigged" without evidence

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, Trump said: "I didn't take sides, but it looked like another rigged election," according to Reuters. AFP quoted him adding that "it looked so corrupt." He pointed to the two-hour extension of voting and the way votes were tabulated, calling the extension "very strange." He also said he likes Lula and gets along with him "very well."

Neither Trump nor Bolsonaro has presented evidence of fraud. Fewer than 35,000 votes, about 0.03% of the total, were cast during the extra two hours, according to an analysis of electoral records by Insper professor Pedro Burgos cited by Reuters. Lula's margin was about 4.4 million votes. Electoral court chief Kassio Nunes Marques, a Bolsonaro appointee to the Supreme Court, called the vote "successful" and said the extension brought "no changes," AFP reported.

How Brazil responded

Vice President Geraldo Alckmin told broadcaster Rede Vanguarda that Trump's remarks were "totally wrong" and "unfounded," Reuters reported. Later on Monday, the Liberal Party (PL), on whose ticket Flávio ran, said in a statement signed by party head Valdemar Costa Neto: "We recognize the presidential election results." The party added that issues raised during the vote "need to be properly clarified."

Flávio Bolsonaro has said he will seek to annul the result over the voting extension, which he called a "dirty trick." As of 00:00 UTC on October 27, no court had ruled on any such challenge.

What we know and what we don't know yet

Known: Bolsonaro says he was ordered to hand over his passports and will comply; reports citing the ruling describe a Moraes order tied to a money-laundering probe; Trump called the vote rigged without evidence; Brazil's electoral authorities and vice president reject fraud claims.

Not yet known: whether the Supreme Court or Federal Police will comment publicly on the order, whether Bolsonaro has formally filed an annulment request, and whether Washington will take any official step beyond Trump's remarks.

Background

Lula came from behind after the first round to win a fourth term, as covered in our report on Lula's runoff victory. Markets reacted sharply: Reuters said the real fell 8.1% against the dollar on October 26, its biggest one-day drop since 2002, as detailed in our piece on the plunge in Brazilian assets. For the campaign's final stretch, see our preview of the Lula vs. Flávio Bolsonaro runoff. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup after refusing to accept his 2022 defeat, AFP noted.

What it means

The passport order and Trump's comments raise the stakes of the post-election transition. Lula's new term is due to begin on January 5, 2027. With the PL accepting the result, Flávio Bolsonaro's annulment push appears more isolated, while his legal exposure has grown. Relations between Brasília and Washington, already strained by earlier U.S. tariffs on Brazil, face a new test. More coverage: Brazil, Lula.