Brasilia, August 19 (RHC)-- Brazil's former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva blasted the statement made by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro about Alberto Fernandez's victory in the Argentinean presidential primary elections.
In an interview granted from the prison cell where he has been unjustly confined, Lula said: “I saw a speech by Bolsonaro against Argentina and the victory of Alberto Fernandez. I could not believe that a Brazilian president had such foolishness and sassiness to talk about his most important trade partner and strategic ally by offending the Argentinean people and the man who won the primary elections.”
Last week, the far-right Brazilian president expressed his disgust at the electoral failure of President Mauricio Macri, a neo-liberal politician who lost by more than 15 percentage points in the elections held on August 11th. Besides describing the winning candidates as "left-wing bandits," Bolsonaro said that Brazil will not welcome the Argentineans when they supposedly begin to escape from their country due to the return of Peronism to power.
The Workers' Party (PT) leader also criticized the support Bolsonaro has provided to the Macri administration despite its poor economic performance. "Does Bolsonaro think that Macri, who brought inflation to 74 percent, is good for Argentina? The one who increased the external debt to $100 billion? The one who greatly increased the amount of people sleeping on the streets of Buenos Aires? For the love of God!"
In an interview with journalist Bob Fernandes (TVE Bahia), which is being broadcast hrough social networks, President Lula said that "[Jair Bolsonaro's Economy Minister ] Guedes wants to destroy the Brazilian economy and that it does not matter if he remains imprisoned until abuses committed against him can be demonstrated."
Regarding the return of the left to power in Latin America, Bolsonaro described critics of neoliberalism in inappropriate terms during a meeting in the city of Parnaiba. “We will end the poop of Brazil. The poop is this race of corrupted and communists. In the next elections, let's sweep this red gang from Brazil. Since Venezuela is good [for this people], I'll send this gang there. Whoever wants to go a little further north will go to Cuba.
Lula da Silva explained that, once again, this sort of political discourse demonstrates the clear incompatibility between Bolsonaro's personal attitudes and the office he holds.
“Bolsonaro behaves like the chief of the hooligans. He doesn't want the team to improve. He wants conditions to continue booing and cursing. That is what he wants," the former president said.
