President Lula warns at UN against interference in Brazil’s elections — PBS NewsHour
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, warned against external interference in the country’s internal affairs and electoral process. He said Brazil would not allow domestic or foreign opponents of democracy to undermine the will of voters.
According to PBS NewsHour, Lula’s speech came several weeks before Brazil’s October elections. He is seeking a fourth, but non-consecutive, presidential term. Lula also stressed that Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians and that the country will remain sovereign.
Tensions with the United States
The speech took place amid worsening relations between Brazil and the United States. Last year, the United States imposed the first round of tariffs, linking them, according to US President Donald Trump, to the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. He is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest after being convicted of attempting a coup d’état.
Lula’s main political rival is Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son. The Trump administration has publicly supported Flávio Bolsonaro. It recently designated the Brazilian groups First Capital Command (PCC) and Red Command (CV) as foreign terrorist organizations. Lula rejected the decision, while some analysts and politicians suggested that it could be aimed at interfering in the elections by creating the impression that the president is lenient toward organized crime.
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Lula described Brazil’s electoral system as modern and reliable and warned about disinformation campaigns capable of distorting public debate during the campaign. He also said that the country does not underestimate the challenges posed by organized crime, but will not hand over responsibility for protecting its own borders to other states.
Criticism of the UN’s work
The Brazilian president also criticized the UN for its insufficient capacity to respond to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and called for reform of the Security Council. According to him, the world is facing the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II, while trillions of dollars are being directed toward a new arms race.
Lula said that the UN is failing to fulfill one of its key missions — protecting humanity from war — and that its authority has never been lower. He called on the organization to restore its capacity for dialogue and mediation and to choose between multilateralism and global fragmentation.
