In a speech with representatives of the Brazilian community in Portugal, president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated that he will work to enable the return of students and workers who left Brazil due to lack of opportunities.
“I hope you start returning to Brazil proudly”, said the PT, recalling the expatriate return movement during his first two governments.
The last commitment on Lula’s agenda in Lisbon, the meeting, this Saturday morning (19), brought together around 300 people in an auditorium at ISCTE (University Institute of Lisbon). For security reasons, participants were previously selected and identified.
Speaking to an audience of supporters only, the president-elect repeated the message that he will take Brazil out of the international isolation caused by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
“In the end, he [Bolsonaro] I was begging for someone to go to Brazil, for someone to get lost and arrive in Brazil”, ironized the petista.
“Brazil is a country that has no litigation with any country in the world. The last one was in the Paraguayan War. Brazil likes to treat everyone well and be treated well. Suddenly this country was isolated”, he added.
The president-elect took advantage of the university environment to once again promise to increase investments in education. “I want all sectors of Brazilian society, especially the lower middle class, to have the opportunity to study that I didn’t have.”
Former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad, whose name gained strength to head the economy, also spoke at the meeting, as well as future first lady Rosângela Silva, Janja. Much loved by those present, the sociologist made a brief intervention in which she stated that her husband’s government will do “more and better” for women’s rights.
As with other commitments on Lula’s agenda in Portugal, there was a small concentration of Bolsonarist protesters in the vicinity of the building.
In his speech, Lula said that protests are part of democracy and asked his supporters not to fall for provocations.
“If you find an angry Bolsonarist, do not accept provocation. Do not waste your time fighting with those who have no arguments”, he concluded.
Second largest electoral college abroad, Portugal gave Lula an expressive victory in both rounds. The petista won in the three cities where there was a vote. In Lisbon, the city with the largest number of voters outside Brazil, he secured 64.5% of the votes in the second round.
Lula stayed in Portugal for about 24 hours. On Friday, he met with the prime minister, António Costa, and with the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, being received practically as head of state.
In a joint press conference on Friday night (18), the Portuguese premier did not disguise his satisfaction at seeing Lula back as president of Brazil, stressing the distance between the two countries during the current government.
“It really is a turning of the page. We haven’t had this meeting for a long time, this closeness and this affection between the political leaders of Portugal and Brazil. We haven’t had it here bilaterally, we haven’t had it in the CPLP [Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa]we have not had in the world”, said the socialist.
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