(Sao Paulo) Lula said Monday that Jair Bolsonaro, his main rival for the October presidential election in Brazil, “is a bad copy” of former US President Donald Trump, denouncing his questioning of the electoral system and the dissemination of false information.
Posted at 5:42 p.m.
“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.
Mr Bolsonaro “lied, spread fake news, challenged institutions […] he is a bad copy of Trump,” he said, referring to the former US president’s loss to Joe Biden in 2020.
“Trump also tried not to accept the result, (his supporters) tried to invade the Capitol. And he had to give in,” added the former Brazilian president (2003-2010), who is seeking a third term.
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 (southeast) to make climate change a “priority” and that if he wins, he will fight “seriously” against deforestation and fires. He intends to make “international commitments” against climate change and put an end to “illegal mining”.
PHOTO MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Left-wing candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
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.
Lula, 76, says the future president will have “the immense task of restoring international relations” in Brazil, whose current government has drawn criticism around the world, particularly for its environmental policies.
Lula 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”.
He 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 moment “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.