'We can't be caught by surprise': Brazil’s Lula puts defence at the centre of re-election campaign
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said national defence will become a key part of his re-election platform, arguing that Brazil must be prepared to protect its territory amid growing global instability.
Speaking on Friday, June 26, during the commissioning ceremony of a new Navy frigate in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Lula said his government would make a public commitment to strengthening the country's defence capabilities.
“For the first time, I am going to include the issue of national defence in a government programme so that we can make a public commitment,” he said.
Lula stressed that Brazil has no intention of threatening other countries but said it could not afford to be unprepared.
He questioned the commitment of major powers to nuclear disarmament and pointed to military expansion by countries including Pakistan, India, China and the United States.
“It is full of madmen in the world. Right now, the president of the United States wants to keep Greenland and says that Canada is going to become a state. He wants to take the Panama Canal,” Lula said.
The president added that Brazil should recognise its size and strategic importance within Latin America.
He said he did not want war but also did not want Brazil “to be caught by surprise.”
Lula is seeking re-election in October and is expected to face right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. National security has emerged as a key issue in the campaign, with Bolsonaro focusing his proposals on tougher measures against organised crime and drug trafficking.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
