“If that fashion catches on, there is no more guarantee of democracy,” he said hours before speaking before the “Sao Paulo Forum,” an organization of left-wing movements and parties in Latin America, in Brasilia.
The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvacriticized this Thursday the foreign intervention in Venezuela and compared the refusal of the Venezuelan opposition to accept the victory of Nicolas Maduro at the polls with the coup attempt on January 8 in Brazil, hours before delivering a speech at the Forum of São Paulo, in Brasilia.
On January 8, followers of former President Jair Bolsonaro who did not accept the result of the October elections, in which Lula defeated the far-right, invaded and destroyed the three seats of power with the aim of overthrowing the Government.
“Didn’t we have a citizen here, an expert who didn’t want to accept the election result? Didn’t we have a little citizen here who wanted to carry out a coup on January 8? There are people who don’t want to accept the election result,” he said. Lula in reference to the far-right leader in an interview with Radio Gaucha.
In the interview, the Brazilian president criticized the desire to remove from power who was elected by the Venezuelans and pointed out that “it is not” right for some countries to “interfere” to delegitimize a democratically established government that will only end if Maduro is defeated in the urns.
“What is not right is the interference of a country in another country. And it was what the world did trying to elect (Juan) Guaido president of Venezuela, a citizen who had not been elected,” emphasized the progressive leader.
“If that fashion hits, there is no more guarantee of democracy, the guarantee of the will of the voters is over“, he pointed out.
The Forum of Saint Paul
Lula was scheduled to speak this Thursday also in the inauguration in Brasilia of the Forum of São Pauloan organization that brings together left-wing movements and parties in Latin America, in an initiative that has been harshly criticized by the Brazilian opposition.
The presence of the head of state at the event, held in a hotel in the cital, was confirmed in the official agenda released by the press office of the presidential palace.
Commenting on the meeting, the president of the Workers’ Party (PT), Gleisi Hoffmann, recalled that it is the “first meeting of the Forum after the pandemicat a special moment marked by the return of several governments concerned about the people’s agenda, here in Brazil and throughout our region.”
“The central theme of this meeting – he underlined – is the effort for the integration of our countries and the construction of a multipolar and democratic world order”.
One of the items on the agenda should be the war in Ukraine. And so Guests of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party are expectedthe Chinese Communist Party and representatives of the Democratic senator Bernie Sanderswho met with Lula in Washington in February.
Another topic that could generate controversy will also be examined, the violation of human rights in Nicaraguawith the presence of a delegation of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in power.
The Managua regime, headed by Daniel Ortega, has launched harsh repression against opponents, NGOs, universities, the media, students and all forms of dissent, including the Catholic Church, one of whose bishops, Rolando Alvarez, has been sentenced by a justice addicted to Sandinismo to 26 years in prison.
During his trip to Europe, and in light of his meeting with Pope Francis, Lula declared, referring to a request made by a man of “great personal and moral personality” like the pontiff, that “I will speak with (Nicaraguan President Daniel ) Ortega, to ask to release the bishop” Alvarez.
“I am convinced – he concluded – that “everyone who makes a mistake must learn to ologize. My commitment is power convince Ortega to admit that he was wrong“.
Lula’s participation in the Left Forum was criticized by several Brazilian politicians, including Senator Rogerio Marinho, from Jair Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL), according to whom “now, in a new PT government, the Sao Paulo Forum has shown again and feels comfortable spreading his ideological agenda of failures, misery and human rights violations”.
ANSA
Source: Clarin
