Brazil elections: ‘Lula’ nominated for president from prison
Supporters rally behind jailed ex-president, but lawmakers expected to declare bid invalid
Brazil’s ex-president Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva has been named as his party’s candidate for upcoming presidential elections, despite the fact that the former leader is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for graft.
Tens of thousands of Lula’s supporters marched throught the streets of the capital Brasilia on Wednesday as the Workers’ Party formally registered his application to run in the October elections, Bloomberg reports.
Party president Gleisi Hoffman addressed the crowd of supporters - many of whom had travelled across the country in a show of solidarity with Lula - saying: “President, thank you for your trust and for the trust of the Brazilian people. You are our candidate now, Lula.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Fernando Haddad, the former mayor of Sao Paulo named as Lula’s running mate, read a message from the imprisoned politician to the crowd. “I will only not be a candidate if I die, give up or am ripped from the race by electoral authorities,” it read. “I don’t expect to die. I will not give up.”
A former steel worker and union boss, Lula served as President of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, but was jailed for 12 years in April on charges of corruption and money laundering. He and his supporters has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the legal case that saw him imprisoned.
Under the country’s “clean slate” law, any “candidate convicted of a criminal offense, upheld on appeal, cannot stand for public office for eight years”, says Bloomberg.
The BBC reports that Brazil’s prosecutor general has “immediately filed to invalidate his candidacy”.
Despite his conviction, opinion polls in the country reportedly show “around one third of Brazilians would back Lula if he were allowed to run”, the BBC says, which would “make him the front-runner in October's vote”.
“People thought Lula would not survive in the polls and the opposite is the case. He is still the front-runner in all scenarios and would win outright in some of them,” Haddad told reporters. “If the people want to vote for him they should have the right to do so.”
Lula “left office with a record approval rating of 87% due to a booming economy and social programs that lifted millions of Brazilians from poverty”, Reuters reports, and his popularity has remained untarnished by his conviction.
If Lula is barred from the elections - which The Guardian suggests will almost certainly happen - Haddad is expected to take his place. Manuela D’Avila, a communist party legislator, will then become Haddad’s vice presidential candidate.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Oysters from New York's past could shore up its future
Under the Radar Project aims to seed a billion oysters in the city's waterways to improve water quality, fight coastal erosion and protect against storm surges
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - November 24, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - taped bananas, flying monkeys, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published