Brazil’s President Bolsonaro ‘Flees’ To Florida, Avoids Lula Handover

Amid cheers and celebration by progressives of the end of an era of environmental disaster, outgoing Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, has ‘fled’ to Orlando, Florida, after delivering a teary message to his supporters less than two days before his fierce leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to take office.

Ahead of the inauguration of his leftist successor, Brazil’s far-right president flew out of the country’s capital, Brasília on Friday, effectively bringing to a close what many critics termed his ultra-conservative era of environmental destruction and international isolation.

Flight tracking website, FlightAware indicated that an official Brazilian plane landed in Orlando, Florida late on Friday. Although Bolsonaro’s destination has not been officially confirmed, his security staff were already in place in Florida.

Bolsonaro’s sudden exit from Brazil comes after repeatedly saying he would not hand over the presidential sash to Lula at Sunday’s inauguration, breaking with Brazil’s democratic tradition. According to critics, his departure is to escape facing legal risks from remaining in Brazil as his presidential immunity expires when Lula takes office.

His departure followed an emotional final address on social media earlier on Friday, 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.

After President Bolsonaro left the country, his press office said Vice President Hamilton Mourao is now acting President. However, a spokesperson noted that Mourao will not pass the presidential sash to Lula, raising doubts about who will do the ceremonial handover.

The presidential plane departed Brasilia shortly after 2 pm local time and Bolsonaro was quoted by CNN Brasil earlier in the day as saying; “I am in flight, back soon”. However, his press office did not respond to a request for comment.

Similarly, the U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment as the U.S. embassy in Brasilia referred questions about Bolsonaro’s trip to the Brazilian president’s office.

Final Words
Bolsonaro’s exit follows weeks of silence after he lost Brazil’s most fraught election in a generation and admitted in a tearful final broadcast that he did not have support to overturn the election results.

Some of Bolsonaro’s supporters have refused to accept Lula’s victory, believing his 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.

In his social media address, Bolsonaro labeled the bomb plot a “terrorist act” for which there was no justification. He sought to distance himself from George Washington Sousa, the man who confessed to making the bomb, and who told police that Bolsonaro’s call to arms inspired him to build an arsenal of guns and explosives.

“The man had ideas that are not shared by any citizen, but now they classify him as a ‘Bolsonarista’,” said the president who also praised protesters that have been camping outside army barracks across the country and urging the military to stage a coup.

“I did not encourage anyone to enter confrontation,” he said, adding that his supporters had merely been seeking “freedom.” He said the protests had been “spontaneous,” with no leadership or coordination.

The radical populist effectively admitted to supporters that he had lacked the support to overturn the result of an election he has refused to concede and sought to justify his tumultuous four-year reign during which the coronavirus pandemic killed nearly 700,000 citizens and Amazon deforestation soared.

“I’m certain that I gave it my best,” said the misty-eyed populist, whose electoral fate was sealed by a broad Lula-led pro-democracy coalition whose members argued the dictatorship-admiring president was a real danger to Brazil’s young democracy.

Amid fears that armed rightwing extremists might target Lula or his backers during Sunday’s swearing-in celebrations, Bolsonaro cautioned followers not to go for “all or nothing” and urged them to keep faith in the future.

“Battles are lost, but we will not lose the war”, he insisted. “I believe in Brazil and above all I believe in God. We have a great future ahead of us”.

His Departure And Feeling Of Abandonment
Bolsonaro’s swift exit was a disappointment for many on the right, where his reputation has taken a beating for his post-election silence.

Some of his diehard supporters at the entrance of the Alvorada Palace, the presidential residence where he lived, called him a “coward” during his speech, according to a Reuters witness.

“It feels as if my boyfriend has left me,” said Deise Casela, a 57-year-old widow, touching the Brazilian flag that was lowered after Bolsonaro left the residence. “I am mourning again.”

What The Future Holds
The recent weeks have seen gangs of enraged Bolsonaristas, among them evangelical preachers and Amazon miners and businessmen, riot in Brasília, torching vehicles and trying to storm a police headquarters.

Reports showed that one extremist was arrested over an alleged plot to bomb the airport on the day of Lula’s inauguration.

Minutes after Bolsonaro’s 50-minute farewell transmission, official reports confirmed that he was flying to Orlando, Florida, with the aim of spending at least a month in the United States with his family.

However, it was unclear if or when the 67-year-old politician, whose shock 2018 election ushered in one of the most turbulent and peculiar chapters in Brazil’s political history, would return.