SAO PAULO (AP) 鈥� What is very likely to be the last reelection bid of Brazil鈥檚 President Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva was confirmed on Sunday by his Workers’ Party as the 80-year-old leader faces increasing pressure from foreign leaders ahead of October’s elections. It will be his seventh race for the top job.
Lula’s rival, Sen. , has enjoyed open support from members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Brazil’s president said in his party convention speech he wants to boost his country’s defense industry, protect its rare minerals, and claimed 鈥渘o Chinese, no American, no French will touch鈥� these resources without respecting the South American nation’s sovereignty.
鈥淲e will have to be much more daring to change a lot of things in this country,鈥� Lula said.
Other members of his party highlighted the risk of foreign intervention in Brazil’s elections, pointing to Trump and Milei. However,
鈥淭his election in Brazil determines the future of Latin America,鈥� Edinho Silva, the Workers’ Party chairman, said during Sunday’s convention. Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia have elected Trump-inspired presidents in the recent past.
Fl谩vio Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was an ally of Trump but is now serving a under house arrest for an attempted coup.
Lula has managed to draw centrist parties away from his right-wing adversary and arrives at his party鈥檚 convention with higher popularity in the polls than six months ago.
His campaign is specifically boosting a change to Brazil’s income tax system that charges less to people on low incomes and a debt forgiveness program that has quickly become very popular.
Workers’ Party politicians have expressed worries about foreign-sponsored threats of coordinated automated bot campaigns and social media manipulation designed to influence voters and undermine trust in Brazil’s electronic voting system.
On Wednesday at the party convention, Lula said he doesn’t want Trump as an enemy.
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who will run again alongside Lula, said Sunday that Brazil鈥檚 electronic voting system 鈥渋s so good that it doesn鈥檛 take votes from Argentines and Americans,鈥� in a reference to Milei and Trump.
Lula is counting on some level of interference
The Trump administration has also imposed new tariffs on Brazilian exports and changed the designation of two local criminal groups to terrorist groups, which legal analysts say could hurt companies and open a path for other kinds of intervention. Both moves took place after Sen. Bolsonaro visited the White House and the Department of State.
Argentina鈥檚 Milei came to Sao Paulo on July 25 to speak at Bolsonaro鈥檚 Liberal Party convention and when he insulted Lula and the Supreme Court justice who oversaw the elder Bolsonaro’s trial and conviction over the attempted coup.
Netanyahu recorded a video in support of the president鈥檚 adversary.
Lula has said he is defending Brazil’s national sovereignty. He recently held a long call with China鈥檚 President Xi Jinping, the leader of one of Brazil’s most important trading partners.
His supporters say he could lead South American trade bloc Mercosur into striking deals with partners worldwide. Though Brazil is by far the biggest economy in the group, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are also members.
Like his father, Sen. Bolsonaro has recently tried to sow unfounded doubts about Brazil’s voting system. Those statements have raised concerns at Brazil’s foreign ministry, which in July denied visas to two U.S. Department of State officials reportedly due to fears they sought to do the same.
The U.S. Department of State denied that claim in a statement.
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