Brazil summons Argentine diplomat over Bolsonaro's departure

Brazil's Foreign Ministry summoned Argentina's charge d'affaires in Brasilia on Thursday.

The meeting addressed the recent departure of Flavio Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator who left the country after losing the presidential election on Sunday.

Government sources told Reuters that the Brazilian ministry called in Maria Emilia Cortes to seek answers.

Bolsonaro fled to the United States via Argentina following a court order requiring him to surrender his passports and remain in the country.

The legal order stems from a money-laundering investigation known as the Banco Master scandal.

Investigators are examining a multimillion-dollar payment Bolsonaro received from Daniel Vorcaro, the former head of Banco Master.

The funds were allegedly intended to finance a film about Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The younger Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing, describing the case as politically motivated.

He ran for president this year as the candidate for the Liberal Party, the political movement founded by his father.

Lula da Silva won the election on Sunday with 51.8 percent of the vote.

Lula secured a historic fourth non-consecutive term, defeating Bolsonaro by more than 4 million votes.

The Liberal Party acknowledged Lula's victory, but Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat himself instead making unsubstantiated claims of electoral malfeasance he cited a Supreme Court decision to extend voting hours on election day as evidence of bias both campaigns had requested extensions for different reasons Bolsonaro's camp pointed to inclement weather delaying voters while Lula's party raised concerns about restrictions on public transport Bolsonaro argued the last-minute extension disadvantaged voters in right-wing strongholds after arriving in Miami on Wednesday, he declared himself the legitimate president-elect of Brazil he traveled with his wife and two daughters, flying from Brazil through northern Argentina, then via a chartered aircraft through Ecuador to the United States Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno denied on social media that his government received a formal request for explanations regarding Bolsonaro's late Tuesday entry into the country despite the denial, the diplomatic move threatens to further strain relations between Lula and Argentine President Javier Milei Milei, a libertarian leader, has been openly supportive of the Bolsonaro family and described the senator's journey as a rescue a spokesperson for Milei said Bolsonaro escaped from the claws of communism, which seeks to imprison all opposition figures US President Donald Trump has also suggested the election was rigged, though he declined to take sides after the results were announced Trump has previously issued sanctions and tariffs in response to the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted in 2024 of plotting a coup and sentenced to 27 years in prison relations between the two South American leaders have been strained since Milei took office in 2023, with the countries recalling their ambassadors in August following a series of public disagreements