Thursday, 12 January 2023 — Indian Punchline

by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returns to power as left-leaning leaders are in control of six of the region’s seven largest economies

The tragicomic “insurrection” in Brasilia on Sunday was destined to meet a sudden death. The universal condemnation and, in particular,  the brusqueness with which the Biden Administration distanced itself from the protestors, sealed their fate. Certainly, this revolt is no  “civil war,” although it is difficult to make predictions about new protests in the country.

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022 — Geopolitics and Climate Change

[A different take on Lula’s win. WB]

ROGER BOYD

As I write this, the progressive Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) has very narrowly won the election for the Brazilian presidency, with the current right-wing President Bolsonaro losing. This is good news for the Amazon rainforest, and probably the poorer members of Brazilian society as they will benefit from small government income transfers. However, I am careful to call Lula progressive rather than left-wing. After being beaten three times by candidates of the elite in presidential elections, with the elite using all the tools available to it (state patrimony, the reactionary Evangelical and Catholic churches, the oligarch-owned media etc.) to win, Lula became a Blair-style progressive to get elected in 2002. He was re-elected for a second four-year term in 2006. With a massive global commodity boom driving Brazilian growth, Lula was able to use government revenues to fund income transfers to the poorer parts of Brazilian society, while at the same time being a very good neoliberal; just like Blair in the UK:

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022 — Indian Punchline

by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

Lula, the fiery trade union leader, berating free-market reforms of President Cardoso, Brasilia, circa 1999 (File photo)

The former president of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, popularly known as Lula, has won the country’s presidential election by an incredibly narrow margin of 50.90% of the vote against his right-wing rival and incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro’s 49.10%.

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Monday, 31 October, 2022 — CovertAction Magazine

By Lauren Smith

Auditorio Celso Furtado. President-Elect Lula da Silva Surrounded by Supporters at Rally [Source: photo by Lauren Smith]

Right-winger Jair Bolsonaro’s claims of election fraud reduced to sour grapes as Brazil’s bulletproof voting process shames the United States’ swiss-cheese system

Workers’ Party (PT) candidate, former president Lula da Silva, won the Brazilian presidency with just over 50 percent of the vote in the runoff election held on October 30.

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Monday, 31 October 2022 — Internationalist 360°

Brasil de Fato

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the first former Brazilian president to be elected to serve a new term in office. At 7:57pm, the PT candidate had 59.563.912 votes and could no longer be reached by his opponent, the current occupant of the Planalto Jair Bolsonaro (PL), consolidating the victory.

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Friday, 28 October, 2022 — CovertAction Magazine

By Julian Cola

Jair Bolsonaro in front of U.S. flag while, fittingly, celebrating U.S. Independence Day on July 4, 2020. [Source: twitter.com]

Inauguration of a Fusion Center of Multinational Intelligence gathering located next to the pristine Iguaçu Falls—a long-held dream of the U.S. Embassy—is a case in point

“The U.S. has been a huge partner to Brazil in this project and others as well and we’re taking advantage of the model that has been built”

—Sergio Moro, Brazil’s ex-Minister of Justice and former federal judge speaking about the establishment of the Fusion Center, a high-tech intelligence hub located along the Triple Frontier in the city of Iguaçu Falls. Continue reading →

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