PT's candidate for re-election to the Presidency of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arrived in São Luís this Tuesday morning (20), to fulfill his campaign agenda. He participates in a mobilization with supporters in the Historic Center of the capital of Maranhão. The meeting was scheduled for 9am, in Largo do Carmo, starting around 11am.
Lula's visit takes place five days before the second round of the presidential election, scheduled for Sunday (25). The president is accompanied by national and state political leaders, including the federal deputy re-elected from São Paulo Sônia Guajajara (PSOL), the former mayor of Recife João Campos (PSB), the national president of the PT, Edinho Silva, and the governor of Maranhão, Carlos Brandão (PSB).
Also participating are the senator elected from Maranhão André Fufuca (PP), senator Eliziane Gama (PT), the deputy governor of Maranhão Felipe Camarão (PT), the federal deputy elected Rubens Pereira Júnior (PT) and the state deputy elected Cricielle Muniz (PT).
During an interview in São Luís, Lula stated that his lawyers were submitting a request to the Court to authorize the opening of his banking and telephone secrets. The president also challenged Flávio Bolsonaro to adopt the same measure.
"I want to see if he has the courage to open his banking secrecy, his telephone secrecy. That is, of the individual and the legal entity. So, now, at this moment, my lawyers are filing this request of mine and demanding that he do the same", he stated.
According to Lula, the authorization also includes information about his children and the first lady, Janja. The president demanded that Flávio Bolsonaro extend the measure to his own family members.
“I am willing for Brazilian society to know who is a thief in this country, who is corrupt,” he declared.
During his visit to São Luís, Lula highlighted the support he received from Maranhão voters in previous elections and asked for more votes for the second round.
"I have always received a lot of votes here in Maranhão, I always have a lot of votes here in Maranhão. I am very grateful to the people of Maranhão, very grateful in all the elections I participated in. And I am here to ask the people of Maranhão for a little more vote, so that we can make the necessary turnaround and win the elections", he stated.
The president also compared the federal government's relationship with Maranhão during the administrations of the PT and former presidents Michel Temer and Jair Bolsonaro. According to Lula, the PT governments made investments in the state that, in his assessment, were not continued during the administrations of their political opponents.
“You know, and the governor knows this, the experience of Maranhão governed by the president of the PT, whether Lula or Dilma, and you know the experience of Maranhão governed by presidents like Bolsonaro and Temer,” he declared.
Lula also stated that the continuity of investments and social programs depends on the result of the presidential election. During the interview, the candidate criticized his opponents and mentioned Bolsa Família.
“I need the people of Maranhão so that we can continue helping the people of Maranhão,” he said.
During the interview, Lula also announced measures he intends to adopt related to debt forgiveness and workers' rights. According to the president, a law that provides for the forgiveness of debts included in the Union's active debt should be sanctioned this Wednesday (21). According to Lula, the initiative could benefit around 4 million people.
“There are 4 million people who had active debt in the Union. We decided to grant amnesty to clear these people's names in Serasa so they can start a new life”, he stated.
The candidate also announced that he intends to submit to the National Congress a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) related to the reduction of working hours and the end of the 6x1 scale, a model in which the worker works for six days and has one day of rest. According to Lula, the intention is to guarantee another day off for workers starting next year.
The president also mentioned a proposal to guarantee free public transport on Saturdays and Sundays. “We will then ensure that, on Saturday and Sunday, people have free public transport so that people can go for a walk on these two days”, he stated.
According to the organization, the route includes Largo do Carmo, Rua Magalhães de Almeida and the João Paulo II region. The schedule foresees that Lula will travel part of the route in a vehicle, using a microphone to talk to supporters. Last Friday (16), during an interview with the Radar Imirante program, vice-governor Felipe Camarão explained that the format of the mobilization was defined at the request of the president himself. According to Camarão, Lula preferred to take a walk instead of a traditional rally with speeches on a platform.
After the mobilization in São Luís, Lula is expected to head to campaign commitments in the Northeast. During the interview, the president stated that he intends to take a walk between Juazeiro, in Bahia, and Petrolina, in Pernambuco, as part of the electoral mobilization in the final stretch of the second round.
