After losing the presidential election, former President Roberto Bovesano's son, Flavio Boresano, fled to the United States. However, he still refused to accept the election results, even claiming himself to be the "true president of Brazil." His actions quickly became a joke on social media, leading to ridicule from Brazilian and international netizens. "I declare myself..." has become a popular phrase used in online humor.
Flavio has also drawn criticism from his own national media, and even his political allies have distanced themselves from him.
According to a report by AFP on October 29th, a column article in the Brazilian newspaper Globo compared Flavio to 'Napoleon in a insane asylum', while the newspaper São Paulo Post criticized his statement as 'tragic'.
On October 25, Brazil held a runoff election for the presidency. The current president, Lula, defeated Flavio and won re-election. Although Flavio received more than 4 million votes against him, he refused to accept the results, accusing the election of fraud, without providing any evidence to support his claims.
What is more noteworthy is that this 45-year-old senator quickly left Brazil after his defeat in the election, and traveled through Argentina and other places before arriving in Miami, Florida, USA. Previously, Brazilian judicial authorities had demanded that he surrender his passport due to investigations related to him. Flavio denied any illegal activities, insisting that he was being politically persecuted.
Flavio hurriedly fled to the United States
On October 28th local time, Flávio, who arrived in the United States, issued a statement through social media, claiming that he is the 'real president' of Brazil and stated that he would lead Brazil's opposition party from abroad.
However, this statement quickly led to a series of misunderstandings.
According to the Brazilian newspaper 'Santa Paula Page', at least four different versions of the statement have been spread online. The version originally posted by Flavio's allies stated that he was the 'true elected president of Brazil'. One of the versions even used an old national emblem that has long been discontinued in Brazil, and the country's name was written in a spelling that dates back to before the 1960s.
A ally of Bozonaro who released an early version of his content explained that using the wrong national emblem was a mistake caused by ChatGPT.
subsequently, Flavio revised his statement, changing "the real president" to "Brazilian leader", but still insisted that he had the authority to lead the opposition and continued to question the results of the presidential election.
He also thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentine President Macri in his statement, criticized the Brazilian Supreme Court, and claimed that there was fraud in this election.
Fraivio particularly questioned the decision by Brazil's electoral authorities to extend the voting time at some polling stations. However, the "Santa Paulo Page" pointed out that the additional votes after the extended voting time amounted to only about 34,000 votes, accounting for just 0.03% of the total votes. This was far insufficient to change the election outcome, where Lula led by about 4.43 million votes.
In response to these accusations, the President of Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court, Cácio Nunes Max, emphasized that the 2026 elections were conducted strictly in accordance with laws and constitutional provisions, and the entire election process proceeded normally.
Flavio's statement quickly became a joke on social media. Netizens from various countries mimicked his practice of "announcing himself as elected," and they all bestowed titles upon themselves.
A well-known Brazilian singer, Anita, claimed online that she no longer had cellulite. A internet celebrity declared herself to be the “real president of Twitter”. Someone announced that they were the “next lottery winner” and immediately asked the lottery company for a prize money. Another person proclaimed themselves to be the “Queen of Denmark”. There was also a joke: since Bolsonaro, who is in the United States, claims to be the Brazilian president, what if this “telecommuting president” loses internet access? Wouldn’t the country come to a halt?
I announce that I am... a trending topic. Instead of challenging the election results with a tough stance, Bolsonaro unexpectedly became the object of mockery and playful imitation from internet users.
I claim to be the winner of the Big Lottery! Where is my prize money, Brazilian lottery company?
I declare myself to be a procrastination disorder patient. I will issue another statement tomorrow.
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Brazilian media also criticized him harshly. The columnist of the Globo newspaper compared him to "Napoleon in a madhouse," while the Folha de São Paulo described his statement as "sorrowful." Some Brazilian media believe that this statement implies inciting a coup.
Compared to the mockery from the internet, what made Flavio even more embarrassed was that even within his own political camp, few were willing to support his arguments.
Santa Catarina State Governor Tarso de Freitas was considered an important presidential candidate for the Brazilian right wing faction before his candidacy in Flavião. In an interview with the Santa Catarina state newspaper, he stated that the election results reflect the will of the majority of the people and must be respected.
"We are democrats. The election results are of utmost importance. What we see is the will of the majority of people, and this must be respected."
De Fretes also said that the election is over, and it's time to look forward.
Flavio's campaign coordinator, Senator Rojerio Marini, also acknowledged that there is no evidence of fraud in this presidential election. He believed that Flavio's statement reflected his emotions in the face of an unexpected defeat.
Brazilian Freedom Party chairman Valdemar Costa Neto expressed his dissatisfaction publicly on the 29th after visiting former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a sentence.
No one agreed with Fravio's statement. Into stated that the party understood his situation, but did not endorse his approach; "we must continue to move forward".
Including the Brazilian democratic movement party and multiple center-right and right-wing parties which also openly acknowledged Lula's victory, they called for the respect of election system and voting results.
Fravolo's political situation also makes the future of Brazil's right-wing faction a focus of attention for the outside world.
His father, Jair Bolsonaro, served as the President of Brazil from 2019 to 2022. He was defeated by Lula in the 2022 presidential elections. Subsequently, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for allegedly plotting a coup.
In this presidential election, Flavio ran as a political heir of his father. He initially led Lula in the first round of voting, but ultimately failed to win the second round of elections.
However, the influence of the Bosonaro family in Brazilian politics did not disappear due to their defeat in the election.
Although Lula won the presidential election, the right-wing bloc gained a stronger parliamentary position in the congressional elections during the same period. The Liberal Party, to which Flavio belongs, will have the most seats in the new congress that begins in February 2027.
This means that Lu La's future governance will still face opposition from right-wing parties.
But the question is, can Flavio, who is in the United States, continue to lead this political faction.
According to political scientist Geraldo Monteiro from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Flavio's claim of leading Brazil's opposition overseas is not simply a mistake; it may also be an attempt to maintain his influence within the conservative camp.
However, Montetaro questioned whether this strategy would be effective. He pointed out that the newly elected right-wing members had already secured their seats and no longer needed to rely on Flavio to win elections.
In his view, Favio’s statement could further exacerbate divisions within the Brazilian right wing: some people insist on loyalty to the Bosonaro family, while others are unwilling to continue being involved in political disputes surrounding the election results.
In fact, after Flavio left Brazil, discussions began about who would become the next representative of the right-wing faction. São Paulo State Governor Fernando Haddad said he has no intention of participating in the 2030 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Flavio's activities in the United States have also attracted attention.
U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that the U.S. has allowed Flavio to enter the country, but did not publicly support his claim of being a legal leader of Brazil. Regarding Flavio's questioning of Brazil's election results, Trump stated that he was unwilling to provide further comments.
Flavio stated that he would continue to lead the opposition abroad, but had not yet announced whether he would seek political asylum or disclosed a return date to Brazil.
From the popular frontrunners before the election, to their departure to the United States after a defeat, and then self-proclaimed as "the real President" which triggered nationwide mockery, Flavio's political situation changed dramatically in a short span of days.
For the Bosonaro family, losing the presidency does not mean losing all political influence. However, as more and more allies publicly demand respect for the election results, whether Flavio will continue to command the Brazilian right wing as a family heir is becoming a real question.
