Former Brazilian President Luiz Inઓcio Lula da Silva could be scheduled for a sensational comeback attempt after a Supreme Court judge overturned a series of criminal charges against the left mark and restored his political rights.
The ruling, which analysts call a political bombshell, means Lula will challenge Brazil’s current president, Jared Bolsonaro, in the 2022 presidential election.
“The election starts today … It is unlikely that Lula will not be a candidate,” said Thomas Traman, a Rio de Janeiro-based political observer. “In American terms, it’s going to be like Trump vs. Sanders.”
“Lula is back in the game,” said Brazil’s leading financial newspaper, Valor or Economico.
Lula was president of Latin America’s largest economy for two terms between 2003 and 2011, overseeing a historic historical period of commodity growth and poverty reduction. The 75-year-old Workers Party (PT) politician had hoped for a third term in 2018, but was expelled after being jailed on controversial corruption charges, paving the way for Bolsonaro’s landslide victory.
Lula was released from prison in November 2019 after serving 580 days in prison, but was unable to win elections after being stripped of his political rights.
Speaking to the Guardian last April, the former Shoeshin boy speculated that he would challenge Bolsonaro in 2022, but accused the far-right former army captain of being “leading” in the “slaughterhouse” over his “strange” and “reckless” response to the country.
“You can be sure that the left will rule Brazil again after 2022,” Lula claimed. “We will vote for someone who is committed to and respects human rights, who respects environmental protection, who respects the Amazon – who respects blacks and indigenous peoples. We are going to choose someone who is committed to the poor people of this country. ”
Truman said Monday’s verdict was a vague turn and a potential positive for those who wanted to see Bolsonaro’s back, under which 265,000 Brazilians lost their lives to the Covid-19 under the highly controversial watch. “If you are totally opposed to Bolsonaro, this is good news – because you have a candidate who is undeniably strong, popular and can beat Bolsonaro.
“The problem is that there are a fair number of people who don’t want any of them [as president] – And if these people do not come together and come together [third] Candidates now, there will be no room for them, ”Truman added. “If the other candidates don’t decide to run now, things will be so polarized until next year that there will be no room for a third candidate.”
Some believe that Bolsonaro will also enjoy a possible election battle with the former Union leader, who is a bogeyman for many conservative voters.
Lula supporters cheered on the decision on social media, using some hashtags # LulaPresidente2022. A PT buddy tweeted Video Tico Waltondo (“I’m Coming Back”), a Brazilian musician named Chico Burke, is a septuagenarian politician wielding an iron in the gym. Her house songs announce, Fill the house with flowers as I return. Argentina’s left-wing president, Alberto Fernandez, also hailed Lula’s political career as a failure to overthrow the regime. To tweet: “Justice is done!”
Meanwhile, there were signs of political heartburn in a number of personalities who are trying to position themselves as self-proclaimed centrist alternatives to the radical administration of Bolsonaro. Former Bolsonaro health minister Luiz Henrique Mandeta, who is accused of plotting the presidency, Tweeted: “Extremes rejoice because they feed each other.”
Luciano Haq, one of Brazil’s most well-known TV presenters and another potential contender, Tweeted: “One thing is for sure: you can’t complete a sticker album with doubles.”
