Conservative Geraldo Alckmin will accompany him in the October elections
They are not united by love but by the fear of the possibility of a re-election of the extreme right
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva already has his running mate in the October presidential elections with which he seeks to avoid the permanence of Jair Bolsonaro in the power. This is the former governor of São Paulo Geraldo Alckmin, of unconcealable conservative imprint. Lula and Alckmin were rivals in the 2006 elections. One has created the Workers’ Party (PT). The other was numerary of the The Work of God.- What unites them in the present is the fear and the possibility of the re-election of the former retired captain. The communion of forces between historically rival leaders since Brazil regained democracy in the mid-1980s was formalized this Friday during a meeting in which Lula and Alckmin participated. “We are going to need my experience and his experience to rebuild the country, speaking with all of Brazilian society,” said the man who governed the South American giant between 2003 and 2010. With this alliance, which years ago would have been considered science fiction and has a strong mark of pragmatism, Lula said At the same time, society is being given “a very strong demonstration” that Bolsonaro cannot remain in the presidency beyond the first day of 2023.
“This day is important to me. Alckmin. You will be greeted like an old comrade within our beloved Workers’ Party. From now on, you can’t be treated like a former governor and I can’t be treated like a former president. You call me comrade Lula and I call you Comrade Alckmin“. The PT must meet to repeat the same words of Lula. Nobody expects surprises in this regard.
Lula in turn recalled the historical relationship between PSB and PT. “It is perfectly possible that two forces with different projects, with the same principles, come together in a time of need for the people. We have to show Brazilian society that Brazil needs love and not hate.”
PSB PT meeting with Lula and Geraldo Alckmin https://t.co/H9Xd9fFykq
— Lula (@LulaOficial) April 8, 2022
For Lula, Bolsonaro is a “genocide“. Therefore, it will be easier to win the electoral contest than the “task that lies ahead of us to recover this country”, hit by hunger and inflation, and to which he will dedicate himself “with body and soul”. Alckmin recognized him his former rival political greatness and detachment: “Politics is not a solitary art. The force of politics is centripetal. We are going to join efforts for the reconstruction of our country“. He also recalled that in Brazil there is currently a government “that attacks democracy and attacks institutions” and has caused “the greatest crisis in recent decades”.
mutual gestures
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Each has made significant concessions to get to this stage. Lula decided not to make any allusion to issues such as abortion, and she even recalled his condition as father, grandfather and great-grandfather above a public health policy. Alckmin, meanwhile, left Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) to join the Socialist Party and thus create conditions for the alliance.
Simply companions!
Without ceremony, with the humility to recognize that the challenges of the present are greater than the disputes of the past.????: @ricardostuckert pic.twitter.com/rOAJH5RKoK
— Geraldo Alckmin (@geraldoalckmin) April 8, 2022
The last poll known in Brazil days ago, realizes that Lula would defeat Bolsonaro in a second round by 19 points of advantage. But analysts do not rule out that the far-right narrows the gap and reaches an electoral instance of greater political drama. However, a survey by the Genial/Quaest consulting firm has just recorded that 61% of those interviewed think that the former retired captain should not have a new opportunity to govern. For its part, a survey by the Ipespe institute reports that Lula is considered the best president in republican history and Bolsonaro the worst.