“The United Nations should have already called an extraordinary general meeting, a virtual assembly, to discuss Covid 19,” he told Amanpour, speaking from São Paulo, Brazil.
“Government officials are not acting as government officials,” he added. “Everyone is thinking for themselves.”
Da Silva also said that the G20 should make coronavirus vaccines immediately accessible worldwide and allow poorer countries to pay for them at a later date. “People, regardless of the amount of money that the country may have … it could receive the vaccines … we would return [for] that vaccine after we got rid of the virus, after we won that war. “
‘I will not deny this invitation’
“When the time comes to run for election, and if my party and the other allied parties understand that I can be the candidate, and if I am in good health, with the energy and power that I have today, I can guarantee that I will not deny the invitation, “said the 75-year-old man.
He also said he was inspired by the success of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. “When I saw Biden being elected, I thought: he is 77 years old! I am still 75 and I say every day that I am 75 years old, but the energy and power of 30.”
Da Silva was released from prison in 2019. Deciding to overturn his convictions last week, Federal Supreme Court judge Edson Fachin said the Curitiba city court that convicted him acted outside his jurisdiction. Fachin ordered a new trial in the Federal Court of Brasília.
In his interview with Amanpour, Lula called his case “the biggest judicial farce in the history of Brazil’s 500 years”. He would have “no problem” being tried or tried again, he added. “There is only one Brazilian who at the moment wants to know the truth and only the truth: it’s me”.
Whoever the candidate is, the ex-president said that the country hit by the pandemic could not continue with Bolsonaro in charge. “We need to call to elect, or re-elect, someone who has a different mentality than Bolsonaro.”
Lula intensified the efforts of the current government to contain the outbreak, saying that “there is no control in Brazil”. He described the lockdowns as “necessary” – something that Bolsonaro frequently rejected – and unfavorably compared the country’s current coronavirus strategy to that of former US President Donald Trump, saying “here in Brazil and also in the United States with President Trump , the lack of responsibility was tremendous. “
“[Bolsonaro] he prefers to wake up at 4 am, tell his lies on his cell phone, on social media, and we have been producing fake news like we’ve never seen in the history of Brazil, and he’s not taking it seriously, ”said Lula.
Da Silva also said that Bolsonaro should have “set aside money for health and part of our budget to finance small and medium-sized companies, and part of the money for investments in infrastructure works that could create jobs”
Bolsonaro had previously accused Lula’s criticisms of being politically motivated and defended his management of the coronavirus pandemic, saying that local authorities were empowered to take the necessary containment measures and that he was acting in the economic interests of citizens.
As CNN reported, some members of the Brazilian public stopped adopting measures of social distance, like the current president. In a message to the Brazilians, Lula implored them to stay at home “for the good of humanity and the nation”.
“We cannot allow a citizen … to think that he has the right to go out without masks to the streets, to go to social gatherings and parties without taking [into] he says he can come home too, with the virus and pass it on to his mother, father and grandmother ”.