Brazil summons Argentine diplomat over Bolsonaro's flight to US

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Brazil has summoned Argentina's top diplomat to explain the circumstances surrounding right-wing politician Flavio Bolsonaro's flight through Argentina to the United States after losing Sunday's presidential election.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry called in Argentina's charge d'affaires, Maria Emilia Cortes, on Thursday, government sources told Reuters.

Argentina's Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, however, denied on social media that his government had received a formal request for explanations over Bolsonaro's departure.

The incident threatens to further strain relations between Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Argentine counterpart, libertarian Javier Milei.

Bolsonaro was ordered to surrender his passports and remain in Brazil following Sunday's election as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged money-laundering scheme known as the Banco Master scandal.

Investigators are examining a multimillion-dollar payment Bolsonaro allegedly received from former Banco Master chief Daniel Vorcaro to finance a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The younger Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing and described the investigation as politically motivated.

In an Instagram livestream on Friday, he said he was the victim of "persecution" in Brazil.

"I didn't leave Brazil, I left for Brazil," he said, accusing Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes of making false allegations against him.

Bolsonaro also alleged irregularities in the election run-off, comparing them to illegal football goals that were not disallowed, but offered no evidence to support his claims.

A senator since 2019, Bolsonaro contested the presidential election as the candidate of his father's right-wing political movement, represented by the Liberal Party.

He advanced to the run-off but lost to Lula by more than 4 million votes. Lula secured 51.8% of the vote, winning a historic fourth non-consecutive presidential term.

Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat, although the Liberal Party has acknowledged Lula's victory.

He has instead alleged electoral misconduct, questioning a Supreme Court decision to extend voting hours on Sunday.

Both campaigns had requested extensions for different reasons. Bolsonaro's camp cited bad weather that delayed voters in some areas, while Lula's party raised concerns about attempts to restrict public transport on election day.

Bolsonaro argued that the extension disadvantaged voters in regions considered strongholds of the right.

After arriving in Miami on Wednesday, he declared himself Brazil's "legitimate president-elect".

He travelled with his wife and two daughters through northern Argentina before boarding a chartered aircraft that passed through Ecuador en route to the United States.

US President Donald Trump and Milei, both right-wing leaders, have openly supported the Bolsonaro family.

The Brazilian senator later thanked Milei for his assistance without specifying what help he had received. A spokesperson for the Argentine president described the journey as a rescue.

Bolsonaro had escaped "from the claws of communism, which seeks to imprison all opposition figures", the spokesperson said.

Trump also suggested that Sunday's election had been "rigged", although he declined to take sides after the results were announced.

The US president had previously imposed sanctions and tariffs in response to the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, who rejected his defeat in Brazil's 2022 election. The former president was convicted in 2024 of plotting a coup to prevent Lula from taking office and sentenced to 27 years in prison.

Relations between Lula and Milei have remained strained since the Argentine leader took office in 2023. Milei has repeatedly criticised the Brazilian president.

The latest diplomatic dispute follows an earlier deterioration in ties, with both countries recalling their ambassadors in August after a series of public disagreements.

Source: AFP, Reuters/ Al Jazeera