Donald Trump
Asked about Flávio’s claim, Trump said, “I’m not going to make a comment about that…I won’t get involved.
US President Donald Trump has described Brazil’s presidential election as “very strange” after Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro declared himself the country’s “true president-elect”, alleged electoral fraud and vowed to lead the opposition from the United States. Flávio alleged that the October 25 presidential election was rigged in favour of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, claiming that Lula gained more than 10 million votes between the first and second rounds in what he described as a “mathematical impossibility”. The senator claimed that those responsible for what he called a stolen election belonged to a criminal organisation that had established a “tyranny” in Brazil. The senator said he had brought his family to the US to protect them and would continue his political activities from there.
It was a very strange election, that’s for sure. However, his statement did not provide evidence to establish that electoral fraud had occurred. Drawing comparisons with figures such as French wartime leader Charles de Gaulle and Venezuelan opposition leaders, he portrayed his departure as part of a broader struggle for democracy.
Brazil’s Liberal Party (PL), which backed his candidacy, had earlier acknowledged the official election result while calling for concerns raised by the campaign to be addressed through political and democratic debate.
He also named senator Rogério Marinho as his candidate for the presidency of the Senate and said he would soon outline a strategy to mobilise the opposition through what he described as peaceful and legitimate means.