Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro left the country two days before the end of his term in office. He drove from the presidential residence to the air force base in the capital, Brasilia, and then took off in one of the presidential planes, local media reported unanimously yesterday. According to reports, the plane landed in Orlando, Florida. “I’m on the flight, I’ll be back soon,” Bolsonaro told CNN Brasil television.
Bolsonaro’s term ends tomorrow, when his left-wing successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be sworn in. Recently, it had already become apparent that the right-wing head of state, contrary to custom, would not take part in the handover.
His employees, who are still entitled to him after the end of his term of office and are paid with tax money, had a trip to the United States approved for the whole of January. It was initially unclear what exactly was behind Bolsonaro’s trip to the USA. According to a report by the news portal G1, his lawyers are said to have advised the president to leave Brazil before the end of his term in office. Apparently they feared that the head of state could be held responsible for the sometimes violent protests by his supporters after Lula’s election victory.
