On the morning of May 7 local time, at a political rally held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, former President Lula officially announced that he would represent the Labor Party in the 2022 presidential election. The former governor of São Paulo State, Geraldo Alkemin, will run with Lula, a member of the Socialist Party.
On the same day, Lula himself, his Brazilian Labor Party, the Socialist Party to which he belongs, the Communist Party, the Unity Party, the Socialist and Liberal Party, the Green Party and other political parties of the same electoral camp, as well as members of trade unions and social movement organizations, participated in the rally. Arkeming, who was originally expected to attend the event, changed to a online speech because he was diagnosed with COVID-19 the day before.
Lula expressed his gratitude to his supporters at the event and expressed his willingness to rebuild the social order of Brazil and continue to strive for the welfare of the Brazilian people. His campaign mate Arquemin stressed in his video speech that he firmly supported and defended Lula, and the two will put aside past disputes and work together to "rebuild a democratic Brazil."
This is the 76-year-old Lula has participated in the presidential election for the sixth time. He was successfully elected twice in 2002 and 2006. He is the first president of Brazilian history to be a worker. In an anti-corruption investigation called "Car Wash Operation" launched in March 2014, Lula was found guilty of corruption and was jailed and deprived of political rights and had to give up the 2018 presidential election. In March 2021, a judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil ruled that the previous judgment on Lula in the "Car Wash Operation" was invalid, and Lula regained political rights.
Alkine, 69, has served as governor of São Paulo, Brazil's economic center twice. He participated in Brazil's presidential elections twice in 2006 and 2018. In the 2006 election, Alkemin and Lula entered the second round of votes as their opponents, and Lula won. In preparation for his election campaign, Arquemin left his Brazilian Social Democratic Party and joined the Brazilian Socialist Party in March this year. Arquemin demonstrated his support for Lula at the beginning of joining the Brazilian Socialist Party, who believed Lula was the candidate who "mostly reflects the expectations of the Brazilian people."
Some analysts believe that Lula and Arquemin represent the interests of the vast majority of low-income classes and the business community respectively. The alliance between the Labor Party and the Socialist Party will increase the bargaining chips and win wider social support.
The latest poll released by the Brazilian Center for Social, Political and Economic Research (IPESPE) on May 6 showed that Lula and Brazil's current president Bolsonaro 's approval ratings were 44% and 31% respectively. In previous polls, Lula has led the voting intention list, while Bolsonaro's approval rating is closely behind. Recent polls show that the support rate of the two is becoming increasingly stalemate. Analysts point out that this year's Brazilian election will still be a battle between Lula and Bolsonaro. The social welfare plan led by Bolsonaro is currently progressing smoothly. In addition, the recent rise in the price of commodity has caused the economic situation of Brazil, the exporting country, to improve, causing Bolsonaro's support rate to rise.
According to relevant election regulations, candidates who are identified as presidential candidates by their party must complete official registration in the Brazilian Supreme Election Court before August 15, 2022. The first round of voting for the presidential election will be held on October 2. If no candidates in the first round of voting for the presidential election receive more than half of the votes, the two presidential candidates with the largest number of votes will decide the outcome in the second round of voting held on October 30. (Reporter Xu Danna of the General Station)
Source: CCTV News Client
