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Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro fled Brazil for the United States on Tuesday, two days after losing the country’s presidential runoff to leftist incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The U.S. Department of State will issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the U.S., a senior State Department official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
An ally of the far-right conservative senator confirmed his departure from the South American country to Reuters on Tuesday.
Bolsonaro’s flight was reportedly headed to Florida, according to Brazilian outlet Metropoles, citing people close to his family.
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Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly left Brazil for the U.S. on Tuesday after losing his bid to become the nation’s next president. (Evaristo Sa / AFP via Getty Images)
The 45-year-old lawmaker had been out of public view since Tuesday morning, the outlet reported.
His departure came as a deadline for him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports expired at noon Tuesday.
Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo reported Bolsonaro was under investigation for alleged money laundering and other crimes.
It remained unclear whether Bolsonaro had complied with the order, The Associated Press reported.
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With 100% of the vote counted, Lula won 51.8% of the vote. (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)
Bolsonaro was served with the order Monday, a day after Lula defeated him in Sunday’s presidential runoff for an unprecedented fourth term.
With 100% of the vote counted, Lula won 51.8% of the vote, defeating Bolsonaro by nearly 4.4 million votes.
He has refused to concede the election and has called for the election results to be annulled, alleging fraud, according to The Associated Press.
Lula addressed supporters after winning re-election, expressing gratitude to the Brazilian people.
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Lula addressed supporters after winning re-election to a fourth, nonconsecutive term, expressing gratitude to the Brazilian people. (Diego Vara/Reuters)
“No one is required to like the president-elect, but he must govern for everyone,” Lula said.
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Referring to his opponent, Lula said, “This was a defeat for denialism and lies.”
Fox News Digital’s David Unsworth and Michael Sinkewicz, as well as Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.