Social policies and the defense of the Amazon will be Lula’s priorities if he wins the October presidential election in Brazil, the left-wing ex-president promised on Tuesday during the presentation of his program.
“We will have to rebuild the country, and any construction must be based on good foundations. This program is the basis”, declared Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a ceremony in São Paulo (south-east of Brazil), in the company of his running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and representatives of the seven parties forming the coalition of left “Vamos juntos pelo Brasil” (“All together for Brazil”).
Favorite in the polls with 48% of voting intentions in the first round, against 27% for outgoing far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, Lula presented his 121-point program to “get Brazil back on track after the destruction caused by the current government.
According to this document, the first mission of a possible Lula government will be to improve “the living conditions of the vast majority of the Brazilian population, those who suffer from the crisis, from hunger, from the decline in the power of purchase […] with emergency measures, but also structural reforms”.
“Policy of Destruction”
The fight against inflation, which reached 11.73% over one year in May, is considered a “priority”. Lula accuses the Bolsonaro government of having “abandoned” this fight against rising prices.
According to him, the Head of State “could oblige the CEO of [la compagnie pétrolière publique] Petrobras to reduce fuel prices, but it does not do so to avoid falling out with shareholders who share exorbitant profits.
On Monday, the boss of Petrobras resigned after strong criticism from Jair Bolsonaro following a further increase in the price of gasoline and diesel.
In his program, Lula, who is seeking a third term after having already governed the country from 2003 to 2010, says he wants to change the company’s pricing policy, linked to the international market.
This program also considers it “imperative to defend the Amazon”, opposing the “policy of destruction” of the Bolsonaro government. “We will fight environmental crimes […] and we will ensure the protection of the rights and territories of indigenous peoples against the advance of predatory activities” such as illegal gold panning or timber trafficking.
A digital platform was launched on Tuesday to allow the public to send suggestions for this program, which does not mention certain controversial subjects such as the right to abortion, which is very restricted in Brazil.