Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva may have a sensational comeback attempt after a Supreme Court judge overturned a series of criminal convictions against the leftist icon and restored his political rights.
The decision, which analysts called a political bomb, means that Lula will almost certainly challenge Brazil’s current president, Jair Bolsonaro, in the 2022 presidential elections.
“The election starts today … It is virtually impossible for Lula not to be a candidate,” said Thomas Traumann, a political observer from Rio de Janeiro. “In American terms, it will be like Sanders versus Trump.”
Valor Econômico, Brazil’s leading financial newspaper, declared: “Lula is back in the game”.
Lula was president of the largest economy in Latin America for two terms, between 2003 and 2011, and oversaw a historic period of growth fueled by commodities and poverty reduction. The politician of the Workers’ Party (PT), who is now 75 years old, hoped to seek a third term in 2018, but was removed after being arrested on corruption charges, paving the way for Bolsonaro’s crushing victory.
Lula was released from prison in November 2019, after 580 days behind bars, but remained unable to run for election after being stripped of his political rights.
Speaking to the Guardian last April, the ex-shoemaker downplayed speculation that he would challenge Bolsonaro in 2022, but accused the former far-right Army captain of leading Brazilians “to the slaughterhouse” with his “grotesque” and “reckless response” “to the pandemic coronavirus.
“You can be sure that the left will rule Brazil again after 2022,” said Lula. “We are going to vote for someone who is committed to human rights and respects them, who respects the protection of the environment, who respects the Amazon … who respects blacks and indigenous people. We are going to elect someone who is committed to the poor of this country. “
Traumann said Monday’s decision was an unmistakable and potentially positive turning point for those who wanted to see Bolsonaro’s back, under whose highly controversial supervision more than 265,000 Brazilians lost their lives to Covid-19. “If you are totally against Bolsonaro, this is good news – because you have a candidate who is undeniably strong, popular and who can defeat Bolsonaro.
“The problem is that there are quite a number of people who do not want any of them [as president] – and if those people don’t get together and come to a [third] candidate now, there will be no room for them, ”added Traumann. “If the other candidates don’t decide to run now, when we get to the next year things will be so polarized that there will be no place for a third candidate.”
Some believe Bolsonaro will also appreciate a potential electoral struggle with the bearded ex-union leader, who is a bogeyman for many conservative voters.
Lula’s supporters expressed joy at the decision on social media, some using the hashtag # LulaPresidente2022. A PT ally tweeted a video of the septuagenarian politician pumping iron in the gym to the sound of a song by the Brazilian composer Chico Buarque called Tô Voltando. “Fill the house with flowers because I’m coming back”, announces the lyrics.
Meanwhile, there were signs of political heartburn from various personalities who have been trying to position themselves as supposedly centrist alternatives to Bolsonaro’s radical administration. Bolsonaro’s former health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who is reportedly planning a presidential race, tweeted: “The extremes are happy because they feed on each other.”
Luciano Huck, one of the best known TV presenters in Brazil and another potential candidate, tweeted: “One thing is for sure: you can’t complete a sticker album with doubles.”