In Brazil, attacks are raining down as part of the October presidential campaign. Lula thus estimated on Monday that current President Jair Bolsonaro, his main rival, “is a bad copy” of the former American tenant of the White House Donald Trump, denouncing his questioning of the electoral system and the dissemination of false information.
“I am convinced that in Brazil the result of the elections will be respected without discussion”, declared the left-wing candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as “Lula”, asked about the risk that his far-right rival does not accept possible defeat. Jair Bolsonaro “lied, spread false news, challenged institutions”, criticized the former Brazilian president (2003-2010), who is seeking a third term.
Lula wants to fight “seriously” against deforestation
Jair Bolsonaro, 67, questioned, without proof, the reliability of electronic voting in Brazil. Saturday, however, he moderated his position, saying that in case of defeat, the result of the polls will be “respected”.
During his first meeting with the international press since the launch of his candidacy, Lula promised, in Sao Paulo, to make climate change a “priority” and that in the event of victory, he would fight “seriously” against deforestation and fires. He intends to make “international commitments” against climate change and put an end to “illegal mining”. According to official data, since the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro in 2019, the average annual deforestation in the Amazon has increased by 75% compared to the previous decade.
Bolsonaro lagging behind in the polls
Lula, 76, also said that the future president will have “the immense task of restoring international relations” in Brazil, whose current government has drawn criticism around the world, in particular for its environmental policy. He also intends to “strengthen relations between the countries of South America”, where the victories of the left in Chile and Colombia “show that the Latin American people no longer want fascists at the head of the continent”.
The former president also indicated that he would seek to finalize the trade agreement between Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) and the European Union, but for the time being “there is no need to hurry “. Lula leads the polls with 47% of voting intentions, against 32% for Jair Bolsonaro, according to the Datafolha institute.