Flávio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil after election loss to Lula

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 31 Oct, 14:20 · Archive

Flávio Bolsonaro departed Brazil after losing Sunday's presidential election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro, who is under investigation for money laundering and corruption, said on Monday that he had no intentions of leaving Brazil, then left the country shortly after.

The contradiction sparked an outpouring of viral memes on Brazilian social media. One meme depicted Bolsonaro as Waldo, the character from a children's puzzle book series, with the caption 'Where is Flávio?' Another, titled 'Which costume would you use to flee?', presented Bolsonaro in various outfits resembling a Rastafarian, the video game character Mario, former footballer Ronaldo and John Lennon.

The posts received hundreds of thousands of likes and shares across multiple social media platforms. Carolina Terra, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's communications and arts school, said: 'Brazilians treat serious questions with lightness, irony and humour. Everything that is extremely relevant and important, whether political or not, tends to turn into memes that become viral.' Social media played an outsized role in Lula's victory, with unprecedented mobilisation of the country's left on digital networks cited as a critical factor in the election outcome.

How it is being reported

• Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure to the US sparks a flurry of viral Brazilian memesPolitical memes have exploded in Brazil since Sunday’s election that saw underdog President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat his opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, who responded to his loss by fleeing the country.Clickorlando · 31 Oct, 13:39
• Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure to the US sparks a flurry of viral Brazilian memesPolitical memes have exploded in Brazil since Sunday’s election that saw underdog President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat his opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, who responded to his loss by fleeing the country.News4Jax · 31 Oct, 13:39

In this story: Flávio Bolsonaro · Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva · Jair Bolsonaro · Brazil · University of Sao Paulo

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