President Lula (PT) made public demands on the PT, criticized internal disputes and sought to mobilize the base for the October elections in celebration of the party’s 46th anniversary this Saturday (7) in Salvador.
In a speech with the air of discussing relationships, the president defended the formation of broad alliances and stated that the party “doesn’t have all that ball” in all states.
“We have to try to make the necessary alliances for us to win the elections. A political agreement is a tactical thing for us to be able to govern this country. And we are more knowledgeable, much more prepared”, he stated.
The president began his speech by recalling the founding of the PT in the 1980s. He recalled the party’s historical flags and said that the party cannot match the right in politics driven by money.
“Politics has rotted. You who are candidates know how the electoral market is in this country, how much a campaigner costs, how much a councilor costs, how much each candidacy costs in this country. It’s a shame,” he said.
Afterwards, he criticized the volume of money involved in electoral campaigns and said he missed the times when the party sold t-shirts to pay for rallies: “Now there is money flowing everywhere.”
The president demanded self-criticism from the PT for having been in favor of the impositions, approved in Congress, and classified the volume of these resources as “a kidnapping” of the Executive’s funds for deputies and senators to spend as they wish.
“You have an obligation not to let any party go to the mass grave of this country’s politics,” he said.
He also highlighted that the PT needs to strengthen itself in society: “It’s the party that has to be strong, not Lula. Lula is an individual, you are a legal entity that cannot end”, he stated.
Still according to Lula, the PT needs to go to the outskirts and talk to the electorate, including remembering that the majority of them receive benefits from the federal government.
After the demands, he ended his speech on an optimistic note, stating that the PT only loses the presidential election to itself.
“The election is going to be a war and we have to be prepared for it to win at a high level. Let’s get ready. Know that I’m motivated as hell because what’s at stake isn’t just winning the elections, we need to think of another project for this country, to awaken hearts”, he stated.
The event was a kind of kickoff for the October events. The president took advantage of the event for campaign purposes, which include defending the legacy of the PT administration, combating privileges and agendas such as the end of the 6×1 scale. The bet is an ideological discourse for the election.
Bahia was chosen to host the 46th anniversary celebrations as a way of reaffirming the electoral importance of the state, which gave a front of four million votes to Lula in the dispute against () in the second round in 2022.
Earlier, the national president of the PT, Edinho Silva, stated that the construction of a broad range of alliances will be crucial for the president’s re-election.
“We have to be able to form party alliances and as a society. We cannot have any doubts about what is central. Nothing is more important than the election of the president,” he stated.
He also defended the importance of electing senators committed to democracy and cited the goal of electing at least one PT deputy in each Brazilian state and expanding the benches in states where the party already has representatives.
Edinho also highlighted the importance of rescuing historical flags such as the participatory budget, which could be a kind of counterpoint to , and said that only the PT can be an anti-system party.
“If we want to be an anti-system party, we have to make the rich pay taxes and workers stop paying. If we want to be an anti-system party, we have to defend and debate a form of funding so that we can universalize the tax”, he stated.
Lula arrived in Bahia on Friday (6) to participate in a ceremony to hand over ambulances, Mobile Dental Units and equipment for Basic Health Units. In the afternoon, the president paid a visit to the Sanctuary of, in the capital of Bahia.
This Saturday afternoon, the president and first lady Janja will participate in a lunch at the home of the singer and composer, who was Minister of Culture in Lula’s first term.
