Brazilians’ lives were better with Lula, says Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro visits a bakery during an event on Monday. Photo: Isac Nóbrega/PR

In a conversation with supporters on Monday, President Jair Bolsonaro acknowledged that Brazilians “lived better” when Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was president (2003-2010). “They say ‘in his time, people lived a little better than they do today.’ Of course they did, I agree,” he said. “But you could have lived much, much better if he [Lula] hadn’t stolen so much,” the president added.

According to Mr. Bolsonaro, the Brazilian economy was derailed by external issues that are beyond his control, such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The President also acknowledged that the effects of high inflation on food and fuel will impact the election.

In what was the biggest jump for April since 1996, Brazil’s inflation hit 1.06 percent over the last month, according to Brazil’s official statistics agency IBGE. The 12-month rise in consumer prices is now at 12.13 percent, the highest in 19 years.

Amanda Audi

Amanda Audi is a journalist specializing in politics and human rights. She is the former executive director of Congresso em Foco and worked as a reporter for The Intercept Brasil, Folha de S. Paulo, O Globo, Gazeta do Povo, Poder360, among others. In 2019, she won the Comunique-se Award for best-written media reporter and won the Mulher Imprensa award for web journalism in 2020