‘Lula has built strong ties with world leaders He should visit India in the first year of his government’

Brazil recently had fiercely contested presidential elections that saw Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva return to power, defeating Jair Bolsonaro. It also means that South America now has a majority of leftist governments. Deco Bancillon, a Brasília based political analyst spoke to Rudroneel Ghosh about the significance of Lula’s victory and what it means for Brazil’s engagement with the world:

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● What does Lula’s victory mean for Brazil as a nation?

That is a question that could be answered in several ways. From an economic point of view, the victory of the centre-left candidate Lula and the broad group of forces that he gathered represents a turning point in the in-place economic policy. The four years of Bolsonaro’s government were marked by an alleged attempt to pass a liberal agenda that aimed at privatisation and tax cuts, but that did not happen as expected. Lula, however, defends attacking extreme poverty and reducing inequality. Today, Brazil has about 60 million people in poverty. Lula’s economic plan is based on creating jobs and income opportunities for these people through economic incentives and public expenses.

● Bolsonaro’s supporters were protesting the election results. Will this create a political crisis?