Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accepted for the third time Presidency of Brazil last January 1st. In his inaugural speeches, however, the Labor Party (PT) leader did both secure What NOT CORRECT.
In these addresses, the President referred, among other things, to issues such as the achievements of PT efforts in relation to formal employment, higher education, and other issues. He also assessed his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic and gave the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the country.
Cocuyo check collected the wrong data the Brazilian executive director revealed this in the two speeches he gave on his day inauguration. Fact-checking portals such as Brazil’s Agencia Lupa and Aos Fatos and Argentina’s Chequeado have also corroborated these claims.
Incorrect dates in speech before Congress
The Aos Fatos portal analyzed the speech Lula da Silva gave to Congress before being sworn in as Brazil’s 39th President. This speech identified two misstatements regarding the number of works paralyzed and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are more than 14,000 works paralyzed in the country”: wrong
In his speech, the Brazilian President said: “In dialogue with the 27 governors, we will define priorities to restart irresponsibly paralyzed works, of which there are more than 14,000 in the country.” That is NOT CORRECT.
According to the information panel of the Court of Auditors of the Union (TCU) of a total of 22,559 works 8,674 are those who are paralyzedand accumulate an investment of 6.9 billion reais. From the note of Aos Fatos it appears that in 2018 this court issued the figure of 14,000 constructions, the exact number of which is 14,403.
“In no other country has the number of deaths (from COVID-19) in relation to the population been as high as in Brazil”: false
Lula also criticized the management of the Covid-19 pandemic from his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. His full statement on the matter was as follows:
“The period that has just ended has been marked by one of the greatest tragedies in history: the COVID-19 pandemic. In no other country was the number of deaths in relation to the number of inhabitants as high as in Brazil (…)”. Agencia Lupa and Aos Fatos also indicated that this is the case NOT CORRECT.
According to the Our World in Data register, Brazil ranks 20th among the countries with the most deaths from coronavirus disease relative to its population. By December 31, 2022 it was 3,222 deaths per million population in this country.
Most deaths were recorded in Peru (6,409 deaths per million population), Bulgaria (5,619) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (5,018). Therefore, it is NOT CORRECT that “no other country” had the number of deaths from COVID-19 relative to population like Brazil.
In this speech, the President gave Correct data regarding the mobilization of public and private resources and hate and disinformation campaigns during the election campaign, international recognition of the Brazilian electoral system and actions by its predecessor that damaged public policies in the fields of education, science, culture, technology and the environment.
False statements in the speech in front of the Planalto Palace
After being sworn in before Congress, the President moved to the Planalto Palace (Headquarters of the Executive Branch), where he received the Presidential Chapel and offered another speech to his followers who approached it Three Powers Square to witness the ceremony. In this speech he also made two statements that do not correspond to reality.
“We create more than 20 million jobs with a formal contract and all guaranteed rights”: wrong
At this meeting with his supporters, one of the topics Lula brought up was the achievements of the PT effort. The politician reiterated that more than 20 million jobs “with formal contracts and guaranteed rights” have been created by his party. That is NOT CORRECT.
According to Agencia Lupa, the register of Annual List of Social Information (Rais)affiliated with Brazil’s Economy Ministry, says the total number of people employed in the country rose from 28.7 million in 2002 to 48 million in 2015 (the final year of the PT government).
This means that during the reigns they assimilated into Lula’s party 19.4 million people to formal employment in the country (and no more than 20 million, as the President said). In addition, the Rais takes into account jobs in both the public and private sectors.
“We made a surplus every year”
From 2003 to 2010, during his tenure as President, Lula da Silva accomplished a lot primary surplus. However, according to Agencia Lupa in the government of Dilma Rousseff (last member of the PT) the positive results They were only between 2011 and 2013. Dilma then left the government in May 2016 following an impeachment trial with a negative outcome.
In this speech, the President announced Correct data in terms of the number of students in higher education, the accumulation of national economic reserves and the reduction of deforestation in the Amazon.
With information from Agencia Lupa, Aos Fatos, Our World in Data and the Union’s Court of Accounts (TCU) and the Brazilian Ministry of Economy