Brazil’s Lula launches reelection bid as concerns rise over foreign interference

SÃO PAULO — What is very likely to be the last reelection campaign for Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was confirmed Sunday by his Workers’ Party as the 80-year-old leader faces increasing pressure from foreign leaders ahead of October’s vote. It will be his seventh race for the top job.

Lula’s rival, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, has enjoyed open support from members of the Trump administration, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Brazil’s president said in his party convention speech he wants to boost his country’s defense industry and protect its rare minerals, declaring that “no Chinese, no American, no French will touch” these resources without respecting the South American nation’s sovereignty.

“We will have to be much more daring to change a lot of things in this country,” Lula said.

Other members of his party highlighted the risk of foreign intervention in Brazil’s elections, pointing to President Trump and Milei.

“This election in Brazil determines the future of Latin America,” Edinho Silva, the Workers’ Party chairman, said during Sunday’s convention. Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia have elected Trump-inspired presidents recently.

Flávio Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was an ally of Trump but is now serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for an attempted coup.

Lula has managed to draw centrist parties away from his right-wing adversary and arrives at his party’s convention with higher popularity in the polls than six months ago.

His campaign is touting a change to Brazil’s income tax system that charges less to people on low incomes and a debt forgiveness program that has quickly become very popular.

Workers’ Party politicians have expressed worries about foreign-sponsored threats of coordinated automated bot campaigns and social media manipulation designed to influence voters and undermine trust in Brazil’s electronic voting system.

On Wednesday at the party convention, Lula said he doesn’t want Trump as an enemy.

Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who will run again alongside Lula, said Sunday that Brazil’s electronic voting system “is so good that it doesn’t take votes from Argentines and Americans,” in a reference to Milei and Trump.

The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs on Brazilian exports and changed the designation of two local criminal organizations to terrorist groups, which legal analysts say could hurt companies and open a path for other kinds of intervention. Both moves took place after Sen. Bolsonaro visited the White House and the U.S. State Department.

Argentina’s Milei came to São Paulo on July 25 to speak at Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party convention and sparked a diplomatic crisis when he insulted Lula and the Supreme Court justice who oversaw the elder Bolsonaro’s trial and conviction. Netanyahu recorded a video in support of the younger Bolsonaro.

Lula has said he is defending Brazil’s national sovereignty. He recently held a long call with President Xi Jinping of China, one of Brazil’s most important trading partners.

His supporters say he could lead South American trade bloc Mercosur into striking deals with partners worldwide. Though Brazil is by far the biggest economy in the group, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are also members.

Like his father, Sen. Bolsonaro has recently tried to sow unfounded doubts about Brazil’s voting system. Those statements have raised concerns at Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, which in July denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials reportedly due to fears they sought to do the same.

Trump and his administration have frequently sought to undermine confidence in elections at home and abroad based on unfounded claims. But the State Department denied Brazil’s accusations.

Savarese writes for the Associated Press.