SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva launched his presidential bid on Saturday calling on Brazilians to unite behind him to defend Brazil’s democracy from the authoritarian authorities of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
Without mentioning Bolsonaro by title, Lula instructed supporters at a rally that his adversary was unable to govern and lied continually to the nation to cover his incompetence.
“The most severe second the nation goes by forces us to overcome our variations and construct an alternate path to the incompetence and authoritarianism that govern us,” he stated.
“We need to be a part of democrats of all political positions, courses, races and spiritual beliefs … to defeat the totalitarian risk, the hatred, violence and discrimination hanging over our nation,” he stated to a cheering crowd.
The rally was known as a “pre-launch” to adjust to Brazilian election legislation that says official campaigning for the October election begins in August.
Recent opinion polls present Lula sustaining a cushty benefit over his rival if the election have been held as we speak, although Bolsonaro has gained floor by boosting welfare spending and touring across the nation.
Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned Brazil’s digital voting system, elevating fears he won’t admit defeat.
Lula stated he has cast a widening alliance of seven left-of-center events to this point, and has picked centrist former Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin for his working mate to draw reasonable voters not pleased with Bolsonaro’s administration.
Lula pressured his achievements throughout his two phrases from 2003-2010 when Brazil grew quick due to a commodities super-boom, permitting his authorities to increase thousands and thousands from poverty.
“Brazil has returned to the somber previous we thought we had overcome,” he stated, mentioning the rise of starvation amongst poor Brazilians.
Alckmin addressed the rally remotely by video after testing optimistic for COVID-19.
Lula, a 76-year-old widower, stated he was in love along with his girlfriend Rosangela da Silva. They plan to marry on May 18.
(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
