Lula & Alckim Make an Alliance to Win the Brazilian Elections

On Friday, former President Lula da Silva will participate in the October presidential elections in alliance with Geraldo Alckim, who has been one of his historical rivals in past races.

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The Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) formally offered Alckmin as a vice-presidential candidate and now awaits the approval of the Workers' Party (PT) to definitively consecrate the binomial that will face the far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro, who will seek re-election.

Although voting intentions are clearly favorable for the new binomial, Alckmin finds strong resistance among Brazilian workers and activists, who view the Sao Paulo ex-governor's conservative tendencies with suspicion.

For five decades, Alckmin was a member of the Social Democracy Party (PSDB), which was born in 1988 as a center-left organization but has moved closer to more neoliberal positions since then.

In 2021, however, this 69-year-old politician left the PSDB ranks to join the Socialists and ally himself with Lula, against whom he lost the presidential elections in 2006.

"I am sure that the Workers' Party will approve his name as vice-presidential candidate... Alckmin, you will be welcomed as an old comrade within our beloved party," Lula said, adding that "our will is to rebuild Brazil. From now on, it is comrade Alckmin and comrade Lula."

A balance between both politicians, however, will not be easy. This week, for example, Lula invited citizens to protest in front of the houses of conservative lawmakers who prevent women's right to safe abortion. Alckmin, a "fervent" Catholic, kept silent about Lula's statements, which was interpreted as a first test of fidelity to the possible binomial.