Brazil “Is Back,” Says Lula After Election Victory

"Today, we are telling the world that Brazil is back and is too big to be relegated to the sad role of a pariah," he exclaimed.

The former President and metal worker focused on international politics in the last stretch of the electoral campaign.

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"What I hear the most in my international trips is that the world misses that sovereign Brazil that spoke on equal terms with the richest and most powerful countries and, at the same time, contributed to the poorest countries," he said.

He also recalled that his previous administrations strengthened Mercosur and other regional integration organizations.

"We are going to reconquer the credibility, predictability and stability of the country so that investors regain confidence in Brazil, so that they stop seeing our country as a source of immediate and predatory profit and become our allies in economic growth with social inclusion and environmental sustainability," he proposed.

He also spoke of recovering partnerships with the United States and the European Union under new standards. "We are not interested in trade agreements that condemn our country to enter the role of the seller of commodities and raw materials. We are going to reindustrialize and invest in the green economy", he added.

At the same time, he raised the end of the right to veto that undermines the balance between nations in the UN and the enlargement of the General Assembly and the Security Council.

"We are ready to re-engage in the fight against hunger in the world. Brazil is ready to regain its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis by protecting all our biomes, especially the Amazon rainforest," he concluded.

Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential elections on Sunday with 50.90 percent of the votes, against 49.10 percent for his rival, the current president, Jair Bolsonaro, so as of January 1, he will assume his third term as the head of the Executive.

Lula promises to open Amazon preservation to international cooperation

"We will monitor the surveillance of the Amazon and combat any illegal activity. At the same time, we will promote the sustainable development of the communities that live there and prove once again that it is possible to generate wealth without destroying the environment. We are open to international cooperation to preserve the Amazon, but always under Brazil's leadership, without giving up our sovereignty", said the former president (2003-2011).

The former metallurgist affirmed: "Brazil and the planet need a living Amazon; a standing tree is worth more than tons of illegally extracted timber, a river of clean water is worth more than all the gold extracted at the cost of mercury that kills the fauna and puts human life at risk."

"When an indigenous child dies because of the greed of predators, a part of humanity dies with it (...) We commit with the indigenous peoples; we want environmental pacification, we are not interested in a war for the environment, but we are ready to defend it from any threat", he completed.

The president-elect elaborated on the idea of generating sustainable development for food production, as opposed to the agribusiness that drove Jair Bolsonaro's candidacy in 2017, which massively turned out to the polls in the present elections.

"Our most urgent commitment is to end hunger again; we cannot accept as normal that millions of men, women and children do not have to eat in this country or that they consume less protein than necessary. We are the third largest producer of food and the largest producer of animal protein," he emphasized.

And he added: "We are capable of exporting to the whole world and we have the duty to ensure that every Brazilian can have breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. This will once again be the number one commitment of my government".

"We cannot accept as normal that entire families are forced to sleep on the streets; that is why we will resume the "my house my life" program and bring back inclusion programs. Brazil can no longer live with this immense concrete wall of inequality. This country has to recognize itself, to find itself again", he concluded.