Lula takes aim at Flavio Bolsonaro during Rio campaign push
Key Takeaways
- Lula campaigned through Sao Goncalo alongside candidates he is backing in Rio de Janeiro.
- He accused parts of the right of putting foreign interests ahead of Brazil and targeted Flavio Bolsonaro.
- The event came ten days before the October 4 first round, with Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro the main contenders.
The Brazilian president rallied supporters in Sao Goncalo while accusing his main rival and the right of putting foreign interests before Brazil.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took his campaign to the streets of Sao Goncalo on Thursday, stepping up attacks on his main rival, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, ahead of the October 4 election.
The Workers' Party candidate travelled through the city centre aboard a vehicle, greeting supporters during the campaign event in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.
Lula was joined by Eduardo Paes, candidate for governor of Rio de Janeiro, and Senate hopefuls Benedita da Silva and Pedro Paulo, all backed by the president.
Addressing supporters, Lula returned to comments he made two days earlier at the UN General Assembly in New York and used them to target Flavio Bolsonaro.
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"Just as Brazil does not belong in anyone's backyard, there is no place for militia representation inside the Planalto Palace".
Lula also accused parts of Brazil's right of placing foreign interests ahead of those of the country.
"There are many people who in the morning kiss the Brazilian flag and at night go to Copacabana to kiss the US flag. And there are people who want to hand over Brazil, who want to govern this country to hand over our riches. They are the same ones who wanted to privatise the beaches," he said.
His remarks referred to a project pushed by Flavio Bolsonaro in the Senate to transfer coastal land to private owners. The government blocked the proposal on the grounds that it would restrict public access to beaches.
Supporter Luisa Moragas said she remained confident despite Flavio Bolsonaro's advance in the polls.
"I cannot bring myself to feel afraid, not even looking at the polls. Because no matter how much Flavio Bolsonaro grows, no matter how much he is growing, we see in the streets, among the people, in the communities, people who truly see that Lula is the best for Brazil, that Bolsonaro, that Flavio Bolsonaro, that Bolsonarism was the great plague of our country".
Another supporter, Evaristo Da Veiga, defended Lula's connection with voters.
"The people are Lula. It is no use dressing him up in falseness; this Bolsonaro's face is falseness with the people. The people do not want scraps again. The people want culture and leisure. They want health and education. It is Lula again. Young people want Lula, science, culture".
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Eloisa Gonzaga also expressed her support for the president.
"The greatest thrill I could be experiencing is seeing the best president we have had in all my life in politics, and I am a person who lives politics. I will tell you: the best president, the best moment, and he will be elected with faith and Lula in mind".
The campaign event came ten days before the first round, with Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro the main contenders amid an exchange of accusations between the two candidates and Bolsonaro's advance in the polls in Rio de Janeiro state.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
