'Brazil needs fixing': Lula confirms comeback run against Bolsonaro
Veteran leftwinger and former president likens coming battle with Jair Bolsonaro to Liverpool v Man City FA Cup match
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
Wed 20 Apr 2022 12.46 EDT
Geraldo Alckmin and Lula
Lula, right, chose the former centre-right governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, as his vice presidential running mate to attract centrist voters. Photograph: Alexandre Schneider/Getty
The former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has confirmed he will kickstart his campaign to reclaim the presidency from his right-wing adversary Jair Bolsonaro next month, comparing their rivalry to a clash of the titans between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Lula’s desire to secure a third term as the leader of Latin America’s largest democracy has been an open secret since he recovered his political rights last year when a series of corruption convictions against him were quashed.
But on Tuesday night the veteran leftist finally confirmed he would activate his political comeback on 7 May. He likened the coming battle with Bolsonaro to last weekend’s FA Cup match between Liverpool and Manchester City – in which the red team defeated the blue team 3-2.
After launching his candidacy Lula said he would begin touring the South American country, which appears to be emerging from one of the world’s most severe Covid outbreaks. “Brazil needs fixing,” Lula, a two-term president from 2003 to 2011, tweeted after his announcement.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/20/brazil-needs-fixing-lula-confirms-comeback-run-against-bolsonaro