Brazilian president says democracy is once again under threat and calls for greater regional sovereignty.

During his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Latin American countries are now once again witnessing foreign interference in their electoral processes.

RELATED:

Guterres Warns of Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza and Global Divide

“Democracy is once again under threat. We will not allow internal and external enemies of democracy to undermine the popular will,” Lula said and referred to his country’s upcoming presidential elections.

Brazilians will have to choose “between democracy and denialism” and between “a future of greater opportunities and a past of exclusion,” Lula said, referring to his main rival, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022).

Lula praised the transparency of Brazil’s electoral process, in which candidates enjoy “broad freedom of expression,” although he called for the challenges posed by disinformation networks “not to be underestimated.”

“Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians. Brazil will continue to be a sovereign country. No one, no one will take us away from that path,” he stressed.

During his current electoral campaign, the Workers’ Party leader has repeatedly warned about political maneuvers that use social media to spread disinformation. He has also defended the need for politics to be based on facts, concrete data and proposals.

Lula placed the defense of democratic institutions at the center of his message in the face of the advance of the far right, a highly sensitive issue for the country following the coup attempt in 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters vandalized the headquarters of Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Federal Court in Brasilia.

A Critical Moment for Global Governance

During his address to the General Assembly, Lula pointed out that the UN is facing its most critical moment since its founding and characterized war as the total collapse of politics.

The Brazilian president criticized the inaction of major powers and the obsolete structure of global governance, saying the Security Council’s veto power keeps the most vulnerable populations hostage.

Lula described the actions of the Israeli government against women and children in Gaza as genocide. He also rejected political harassment against the International Criminal Court and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

The Brazilian president reaffirmed support for a two-state solution and condemned attacks in the West Bank and destabilization in the Strait of Hormuz.

In his speech, Lula demanded the permanent inclusion of African countries on the Security Council and reform of the global financial system to ease the debts of nations in the Global South.

He also called for the fight against climate change to return to the central agenda of international forums such as the G7 and G20.

During his address to the UNGA, Lula rejected the neocolonial logic and the aspirations of hemispheric domination by imperialism over Latin America.

Under the premise that “Brazil does not fit into anyone’s backyard,” he rejected the presence and patrols of foreign military forces in continental waters. “We do not need aircraft carriers watching over our waters. We need cooperation to block the flow of weapons and money that fuels crime,” he said.

Lula defended the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their own destiny without external tutelage and demanded an end to the “collective punishment” represented by the U.S. blockade against Cuba. He also called for overcoming ideological divisions to advance regional integration.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – teleSUR

IN THIS ARTICLE