Lula the announcements at the opening of the Workers Party congress in Brasília before hundreds of delegates in which he praised the first eight months of President Rousseff’s beleaguered administration.
“For whom is going to rule the country for the next eight years, the first eight months are very few, it’s not more than 10%”, said the Brazilian leader who was acclaimed by party militants shouting, “Lula, Warrior of the Brazilian people”.
Only a few weeks ago Communications minister Paulo Bernardo and a close advisor of President Rousseff said that the two leaders would have to jointly decide on who will be the Workers Party presidential candidate for 2014.
Lula left office last January first after eight years with a record public opinion support of 80%, unparalleled in Brazilian history, and was unable to run for a third consecutive mandate because of a constitutional ban, but he could again run in 2014.
Rousseff who was Lula’s most efficient cabinet chief, praised the achievements of her charismatic predecessor and political sponsor, and the eight and a half years in “which our project is managing and transforming the destiny of our nation.”
The Workers Party congress is a continuation of the previous one last year which on suggestion of Lula, proclaimed Dilma Rousseff as presidential candidate. Deliberations are scheduled to last all weekend and should end with a document in support of the current administration.
Lula’s statements are also seen as yet another support to president Rousseff who has been beleaguered by the resignation of six ministers and deputies (plus a few more ‘suspect-candidates’ including her current cabinet chief), mostly involved in corruption allegations.
This together with an austere budget and spending cuts in pork-barrel projects has created tension inside the ruling coalition of over ten parties thus delaying her legislative agenda which desperately needs the approval of fiscal, social security and environment reforms, ahead of major events, the World Cup in 2014 and Olympic games in Rio do Janeiro two years later.
The president of the PT, Rui Falcão, criticized the press during the Congress. The PT leader said that the “media power of some economic groups hinders democracy.” “The yellow journalism of certain vehicles, must be held accountable every time they falsify or distort the facts to slander or insult,” he said.
He also defended the approval of the regulatory framework of the press. “The PT is fighting to vote and approve a regulatory framework capable of democratizing the media in the country,” he said.
A report in the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo this Friday showed that the PT command prepared a document that attacks the press and defends the control of the media in Brazil.
“The increasing bias and the affront to the facts is a cause of concern to all those who struggle for a democratic media,” he said.