The electoral climate in Brazil is heating up: summit between Lula and Cardoso in São Paulo

BRASILIA.- Two emblematic former Brazilian presidents, the Social Democrat Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002) and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), from left, left behind their old rivalry and reunited as part of his coincidences with the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.

“Former presidents had a long conversation about Brazil, our democracy and the Bolsonaro government’s lack of interest in dealing with the pandemic“From the coronavirus,” said a statement from the press office of Lula, leader of the Workers’ Party (PT).

Former political fighters, Cardoso, 90, and Lula, 75, They had lunch on Thursday in São Paulo at the invitation of former Federal Supreme Court judge Nelson Jobim. The former magistrate is a former ally of Cardoso and served as defense minister during the Lula government.

Despite their historical differences, Cardoso and Lula have started to show signs of coming together in recent weeks.

Historic leader of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Cardoso said that in an alleged tie-off for the 2022 elections between Bolsonaro and Lula, he would choose the leader of the PT.

This weekLula expressed his satisfaction with Cardoso’s words, who he would also vote for if he faced Bolsonaro, a former far-right soldier.

For more than 20 years, Cardoso and Lula have been almost irreconcilable adversaries, as have their respective parties, the PSDB and the PT, but this hostility has started to dissipate since Bolsonaro came to power in January 2019.

The reconciliation lunch organized this Thursday between Cardoso and Lula can be read in a political context marked by frequent speeches and measures of authoritarian tone of Bolsonaro.

Yesterday’s meeting is also part of Lula’s strategy to form a broad front with center parties, such as the PSDB, and even with leaders of conservative forces, such as the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB ) and the Partido Democratic Social (PSD). .

Lula held meetings with heads of BMD and PSD during his recent visit to Brasilia.

This policy of broad-spectrum ideological alliances includes the possibility of adding businessmen, such as Josué Gomes, son of José Alencar, the entrepreneur who was vice-president of Lula between 2003 and 2010.

The possibility has also been considered that Lula integrates a formula in 2022 with businesswoman Luiza Trajano, who has expressed divergences from Bolsonaro’s health policy. Gomes and Trajano both ruled out being part of Lula’s formula.

The former leftist leader said this week for the first time that he would run for office next year, but did not say who his running mate would be.

Lula returned fully to political life in March, when the Supreme Federal Court (STF) quashed the charges against him in the Lava Jato anti-corruption process. With this, he recovered his political rights lost since 2018 when, while in prison, he could not stand in the elections defeated by Bolsonaro.

A survey published today by the consultancy firm Vox Populi indicates that Lula holds 43% of the voting intentions against 24% of Bolsonaro.

In another poll, published last week by Datafolha, Lula obtained 41% against 23% of Bolsonaro, in view of the elections next October.

For his part, Bolsonaro expressed his disappointment at the approach of former presidents Cardoso and Lula. “This FHC [Fernando Henrique Cardoso] that he now says he will vote for Lula … see what a tough face, ”the president said Thursday evening. Bolsonaro later called Lula a “nine-fingered thief” because he lost the little finger of his left hand in a work accident.

ANSA Agency

THE NATION