MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro critical of Lula, Venezuela, Argentina, Communism and lockdowns

“Communism only creates equality in hopelessness, hunger and misery,...” said the Brazilian leader

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has had words of anything but praise regarding former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Argentina, Venezuela and Communism.

With his mind already on the presidential elections of October 2022, where he will seek re-election, Bolsonaro spoke of the Workers' Party (PT) leader whom he did not mention specifically, as a “thief who wants to be a candidate.”

The statement Thursday came together with a new survey which places Lula 45% against Bolsonaro's 37% in a runoff in 2022. Lula has been allowed to run for the presidency after a court ruling annulled sentences of almost 26 years in prison against him.

“See what happens in the world. They know that a bad choice can lead people to misfortune,” Bolsonaro said. ”So it was with (Hugo) Chávez and (Nicolás) Maduro in Venezuela“ and ”in Argentina, they also made a wrong choice,“ he pointed out in clear reference to the current President Alberto Fernández.

”We do not want that for us, but it will depend on what you choose in 2022,“ insisted Bolsonaro, who stressed that ”Communism did not work anywhere in the world and it will not be installed in Brazil.“

Bolsonaro made those remarks in the state of Maranhao, where Governor Flavio Dino is of Communist allegiance.

”They have to have an aversion to Communism, which only creates equality in hopelessness, hunger and misery, destroys families and religions,“ said Bolsonaro, who assured that in 2022, when new governors will also be elected, ”the state of Maranhao will be freed from that plague.“

Bolsonaro also insisted closures and lockdowns “do not have proven scientific efficacy” against the coronavirus and are only applied to “oppress the people.” But he failed to mention the almost 445,000 deaths from covid-19 and the appearance in Brazil of the first case of the aggressive Indian variant, detected this Thursday precisely in Maranhao, and which joins the British, South African and Amazonian strains.