06/27/2024 – 18:10
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that he is not concerned about whether former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) will be able to run again for Palácio do Planalto and suggested that there would be better conditions to defeat him in 2026.
The statements were made in an interview with Rádio Itatiaia, this Thursday, 27th, in Minas Gerais.
“I don’t care if he’s going to be a candidate or not. I do not veto opposing candidates,” said the president. “If he earns the right to be a candidate, let him be a candidate.”
Lula continued: “Well, if I defeated him when I was the opposition and he was the situation, imagine now that I am the situation and he was the opposition. I’m going to show him that whoever is in the Presidency only loses an election if they are incompetent.”
Asked whether the statement would be a confirmation of his candidacy for reelection in 2026, Lula backed down.
“No no. It’s also early. I am a 78-year-old young man, I consider myself to be in good health, I have a lot of physical strength, I have a lot of work capacity. But I will not lead the Brazilian people to make a mistake. I will arrive at the right time,” he said.
Lula added: “It doesn’t have to be me. The only hypothesis I said that I could be a candidate is that if all the indicators show that I am the only person to defeat fascism and the extreme right, I would have no problem being a candidate. But I hope that, by then, we will find someone more competent, younger and more willing.”
Bolsonaro was sentenced to ineligibility for eight years by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) in June 2023. At the trial, the judges identified abuse of political power and misuse of the media.
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