Lula says he will be a “good electoral leader” and that the government will take action in 2024, close to the election

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Friday, the 8th, that he would be a “good leader” for PT candidates in the municipal elections and that government action would begin to emerge from next year.

“I’m in no rush, it’s been a year since we took office and things haven’t happened yet. Everything does not happen at once. 90% of what we announced has not yet been implemented. And this will happen next year, it will begin to bear fruit, and you will campaign,” the president said.

Lula said he would not be able to visit all the cities, but he pledged to stick to what the party leadership determines for next year’s campaign. He also provided assistance to his ministers in election campaigns.

“This is a company that we will have to nationalize. Ministers can’t campaign during working hours, but then we can tell you when our day ends,” he joked.

Despite this, the president tried to encourage the fight, saying that the actions of the federal government alone do not guarantee the election.

“There is no government in any country that has done in such a short time what we have done in the first months of our government, but that is not what wins an election. It may help. But what wins an election is up to us to have the courage to engage in ideological political battles with our opponents so that we can show the difference in urban projects,” he said.

The president tried to protect PT president Glazey Hoffmann and the party’s leadership from repeated requests for shares of the electoral fund next year. He said several times that money is important, but not more than active work.

“Money is important, but there’s no money to buy grassroots work. And we need to get back to grassroots work. We can’t have a candidate who wants to buy support from a district leader, we can’t have a candidate who wants to buy support. We have earned support, we are working, we are going out into the streets,” the president stated.

Despite constructive criticism from his allies, Lula received several standing ovations and applause during his speech and received support from the audience and PT members who were on stage next to him, such as the PT president, some ministers, governors and parliamentarians.