Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, candidate of the Labor Party (PT), today expressed hope that he can win in the first round of the October 2 elections in Brazil.
“I have no shame in trying to win in the first round. If the one who has 5 percent (preference in the polls) dreams of getting 40 percent, why can’t the one who has more than 40 percent dream of having a little bit more and winning in the first round? , Lula asked in a candid speech to the press.
He reiterated his expectation of victory in this round, but noted that he is being attacked not only by his main opponent, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, but also by other candidates.
Although not quoted by Lula, former Minister Ciro Gomes, a candidate for Democratic Labor Party power, is seen by the PT campaign as “Bolsonaro’s support line” and is causing unease among his own constituents.
The former union leader assured that he did not want to lower the level of the campaign and admitted that of all the elections “this seemed to be the most difficult because we are running against someone who has no democratic practice”.
He insisted that every day he competes with someone who works on the fake news database. “And we’re also competing against opponents who plan to attack us in the same way as our main opponents,” he said.
We don’t need to play scornfully. “We must try to discuss the issues that interest the Brazilian people. People want to solve their debt problem, their unemployment problem, end the informal economy, and people want to smile and eat in this country again,” he said.
He stressed that the election campaign “must not only be victorious, but also have a sign of popular and societal participation, and we know that, we did it and we have to do it by October 2nd.”
Once again, the president’s flag-bearer, popular in the ballot box, reiterated that he would not fall for opponents’ provocations and attacks. “I continue with the same calm of the first day … I will continue to try to tell people that it is possible to rebuild this country and another country is possible,” he stressed.
Lula retains a visible advantage in the election race with 44 percent of the valid votes, according to a new poll released yesterday.
The poll, produced by the Intelligence Research and Strategic Consulting Institute, places PT founder Bolsonaro, the Liberal Party candidate (31 percent support), by a margin of 13 points. (Latin press)