MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula sees his win as “a lesson for the world” after setbacks for Netanyahu and Trump

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described his October 25 re-election as “a lesson for the world” and linked it to the electoral setbacks suffered in recent days by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. “In the same week, Netanyahu lost in Israel and I think my friend Trump is losing in the United States,” he said on Thursday in a live broadcast on YouTube.

Lula, 81, spent an hour and a half on a livestream with congressman André Janones, the architect of the digital strategy that helped his electoral comeback, watched by some 600,000 viewers. “I am more afraid than in my first term,” he admitted. “My obsession is back: I cannot fail, I cannot betray them. I have to do better.” The president defended some of his priorities, such as ending online betting, the sovereign exploitation of critical minerals and the importance of the university entrance exam, and promised to find ways for people to take part in government decisions.

Lula said he would speak more often through social media. “I will speak more directly to the people through social media. I will no longer allow the press to interpret what I think,” he said. He also invited Janones to accompany him next week on his first official trip since re-election: the UN climate summit, COP31, in Turkey, and a summit with Southeast Asian countries in Manila.

In Israel’s October 27 election, Netanyahu’s bloc lost its parliamentary majority, winning 53 of the 120 seats, although his Likud party came first; Netanyahu has alleged fraud. In the United States, Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress on Tuesday. Lula will begin his fourth term on January 5.