RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After leading a rally in Plaza de Mayo alongside Alberto Fernández and Cristina Kirchner, the former president of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke about the campaign that will define the future of the Brazilian government in 2022.
“My role is to try to organize left-wing and democratic parties in order to put an end to the current far-right government,” he said, and added: “Although in truth Brazil does not have a government. I strongly wish to recover Brazil.”
Without naming current President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula da Silva gave an interview to Télam news agency and TV Pública, where he compared his administration with the present one and pointed out that during his government Brazil was the world’s 6th largest economy. “It grew in an extraordinary way, generated many jobs and people were happy,” he said.
The former president stated that he will try to “reorganize South America.” “Individually we are fragile and weak,” he said, and added: “We must come together in a development program, involving universities, entrepreneurs, unions, and creating strong multilateral institutions, to counterbalance the cold war between the United States and China.”
In this respect, Lula da Silva said that the “limit to the construction of this alliance” is the defense of democratic principles. “The alliance will be built on the basis of a program that will instill in the working people the certainty that the economy will grow and that they will have more jobs and will enjoy the benefits of this growth.”
According to Lula, he would only become president of Brazil again “to improve the lives of the people.” “We have done it before and we can do it again,” he said, and continued: “The success of Brazil and Argentina is to provide the poor with resources so they become workers and consumers, and when the poor become consumers, when they can buy food, clothes, a car, the economy advances. The poor are the solution, not the problem.”
On his visit to Argentina, Lula said: “Visiting the Casa Rosada was my first public appearance and it was very impressive. I am going back to Brazil with the certainty that Brazil and Argentina will come together. Both countries deserve to grow and, to do so, they must stand together. When Brazil and Argentina are together, we will help South and Latin America.”