Brazil’s da Silva Says Bolsonaro Taking Low Road in Campaign

By MAURICIO SAVARESE

Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, speaks during a press conference with the foreign media in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Brazil's general elections are scheduled for Oct. 2. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is running to return to the job, said on Monday his rival, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, is taking the low road against him and his family on the campaign trail.

Speaking in his first news conference for foreign journalists since the campaign began, the leftist leader accused Bolsonaro’s supporters of spreading falsehoods about him and also his new wife Rosângela da Silva.

Some Bolsonaro supporters have used social media to allege that da Silva will close evangelical churches if he wins October’s election. Da Silva has insisted he is for religious freedom and had demonstrated that during his eight years as president from 2003 to 2010. His Workers’ Party has taken court action against a pastor-lawmaker who spread the claim.

Bolsonaro followers have also alleged that da Silva’s wife is a follower of an Afro-Brazilian religion in an apparent attempt to hurt the former president’s support among evangelicals.

Rosângela da Silva said on Twitter on Aug. 9 that she and her husband will always respect people’s faith no matter which, and da Silva echoed that stance on Monday.

Asked about media reports that Bolsonaro was interested in questioning his wife’s faith in TV ads, da Silva replied: “I never involved any president’s wife in a political campaign. I never included any personal problems of any candidate in their political life.

JAIR BOLSONARO

“When you start involving the wives (of candidates) in campaigns, it is because you have nothing to speak about,” da Silva said.

The 76-year-old former president also accused Bolsonaro of being “the only (candidate) who has ... used fake news and who has challenged Brazil’s institutions” by suggesting he might not accept the results of the elections. Bolsonaro has repeatedly claimed the nation’s electronic voting system is susceptible to fraud, without presenting any evidence, while authorities and independent experts have vouched for its reliability.

In a 40-minute interview with television network Globo on Monday night, Bolsonaro was asked if he will accept results of the vote and instruct his fervent followers to do the same. He responded in the affirmative, but with a caveat:

“The results of the vote will be respected, as long as the election is clean and transparent,” he said on the widely watched nightly news program. He noted that the armed forces, which sit on the nation’s electoral transparency commission, will be in part responsible for deciding whether the vote was transparent. He also said he had needed to be provocative in order to push for improvements to the voting system.

Bolsonaro wasn’t asked about da Silva during the televised interview, nor did he make reference to the former president.

VENEZUELA

During da Silva’s interview with foreign press earlier on Monday, reporters asked about democracy in neighboring Venezuela, and he said he defends alternating power in all countries. The Brazilian has an amicable relationship with leftist presidents who have clung to office and hampered their opposition’s ability to rise, such as Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega.

“There is no irreplaceable president. Brazil will treat Venezuela with respect,” said da Silva. Later, when asked about his lack of criticism of the region’s autocratic leaders, he added: “I have always known how to respect the self-determination of peoples, I can’t meddle.”

“I hope the European Union will treat Venezuela with respect and that the United States will re-establish relations with Venezuela,” the former president added. He praised contacts between U.S. President Joe Biden and Caracas