Bolsonaro plans return to Brazil, denies responsibility for riots

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has said he plans to leave the United States in March to lead the opposition against his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

“The right-wing movement is not dead and will live on,” he told the Wall Street Journal in his first interview since losing the presidential election to Lula.

Bolsonaro said he also planned to defend himself against accusations he incited attacks by supporters who stormed government buildings in Brasilía following his defeat.

"I wasn’t even there, and they want to pin it on me," he said.

Even before the vote, Bolsonaro had repeatedly expressed doubts about the electoral system and indicated that he might not recognize the result. He has never explicitly acknowledged his electoral defeat.

Bolsonaro said losing was part of the electoral process.

“I’m not saying there was fraud, but the process was biased,” he told the Wall Street Journal.

He added he is undecided on whether he would run for the presidency again, adding that the job was “much harder” than he imagined.

Lula was sworn in on January 1 after winning a run-off election in October against Bolsonaro.

Two days before the end of his term, Bolsonaro flew to the US with his family, where he has been since.