Lula’s new manifesto draft to include new fiscal landmarks and caters to police officers

Last week, the Workers’ Party sent allied groups a first draft of the manifesto to be presented by former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s presidential campaign. Vague and lacking novelty, the 90-point plan failed to impress observers — or more centrist members of the coalition.

A new draft will include notes from other parties. For instance, instead of simply calling for the revoking of the federal spending cap, an instrument to tame the public deficit (but which reduces the state’s investment capacity), the document will propose a new fiscal framework. 

The Workers’ Party has studied examples from other countries, such as France and Italy, which have started to review issues of fiscal austerity. Without adding any detail, the new draft says a new tax regime must have “credibility, predictability, and sustainability.”

The document also seeks to cater to police officers, a constituency which is seen as heavily supportive of President Jair Bolsonaro. The draft program talks about modernizing law enforcement institutions and improving police career paths.

Labor issues were the most difficult to reach a consensus on, even within the Workers’ Party. Part of the Lula coalition wants to repeal the 2017 labor reform — while many allies are against it. A new manifesto draft tries to split the baby, proposing to revoke only the reform’s “regressive milestones.”

The new version of the document should be officially presented next Tuesday at an event with Lula and his vice-presidential nominee, Geraldo Alckmin.

• #elections
• #lula
• #police