Officials say Bolsonaro may have left Brazil for Florida
Published:Friday | December 30, 2022 | 4:56 PM
SAO PAULO (AP) — The office of Brazil's vice president says he has become acting president, an indication that President Jair Bolsonaro has left the country and will break tradition by skipping the inauguration Sunday of his political nemesis, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The press office of Bolsonaro's vice president, General Hamilton Mourão, confirmed to journalists he was acting as president. The handoff of power to the vice president occurs whenever Brazil's president travels abroad.
The Friday edition of the official gazette said that Bolsonaro is headed to Florida, and that several officials were given permission to accompany “the future ex-president” to Miami between January 1 and January 30, to offer “advice, security and personal support.”
According to flight tracking websites, the Brazilian military's official airplane left the capital, Brasilia, around 2 p.m. for Orlando.
In Bolsonaro's absence, it is not clear who will hand over the presidential sash to Lula on Sunday. Mourão's press office said that is not part of the vice president's duties.
Bolsonaro has remained mostly silent since losing the election October 30. But a few hours before reports of his departure, he addressed the country as president on his social media.
At times on the verge of tears, the far-right politician said he wasn't able to find a legal alternative or enough support to change the course of history and prevent his departure from office.
“How difficult it has been to stay quiet for two months, working to find alternatives,” he said. “If you're upset, put yourself in my place. I gave my life to this country.”
Bolsonaro also condemned a recent bomb threat in Brasilia, saying it was not the time to attack people, but rather to try to build an opposition against the future government.
“We lost a battle, but we will not lose the war,” he said. “The world does not end on January 1.”
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