Alberto Fernandez greeted this Sunday on social networks a Lula da Silvawho was five points above Jair Bolsonaro in the first round of the Brazilian elections, but his message could be confusing, because the election definition will take place in the October 30th runoff.

“I congratulate my dear Lula on her first round victory and convey my sincere respect to the Brazilian people for their profound democratic expression,” he wrote in an ambiguous message.

How come? It is that the “first round victory” mentioned in the tweet can be interpreted as a sign of a definitive result, and it is not because everything will be defined in the second round between Lula, who seeks his third term, and Bolsonaro, who aspires to re-election.

For his part, like Alberto Fernández, the governor of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, also congratulated the candidate of the Workers’ Party (PT) for the bird’s social network.

Kicillof uploaded a photo of him with Lula da Silva with the text: “Congratulations to the Brazilian people for the democratic day”.

Another Argentine official who came out in favor of Lula was the Minister of Economy Sergio Massa. The head of the economic portfolio also posted a picture with the former Brazilian president and accompanied it with a short but energetic “Immense Lula”.

In the same way that Alberto Fernández expressed the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. “I congratulate Lula on her victory in the first round. I congratulate the Brazilian people for their huge turnout,” he wrote on his Twitter account.

For his part, the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, congratulated his “brother and colleague Lula” and stressed that “the Brazilian people have once again demonstrated their democratic vocation and, in particular, their inclination. to equality and justice “.

“We will win, this is just an extension”

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his confidence to win the election against President Jair Bolsonaro in the second round and stressed that this Sunday’s result is only an “extension”.

“We will win the elections,” Lula said in a speech at a Sao Paulo hotel in front of co-religionists and journalists.

According to the Higher Electoral Tribunal (TSE), after being 99% scrutinized, former president Lula obtained 48.21% of the valid votes, against 43.39% for Bolsonaro.

The leader of the Workers’ Party, which ruled Brazil from 2003 to 2010, recalled that he never won a first round election and stressed that tomorrow, Monday, he will start the campaign to win on October 30th.

“Since my birthday is October 27, perhaps I will receive it as a gift, as in 2002,” said the former trade unionist, surrounded by some of his most important collaborators and his wife Rosangela “Janja” Silva.

Lula, who was in polls to have an advantage of more than fifteen percentage points against Bolsonaro, finished the first round with an advantage of only five percentage points over the current president of Brazil.

However, the progressive leader stressed that to understand the result one must take into account his political resurrection, as in the 2018 electoral process he was jailed for a corruption sentence that was later overturned.

“To assess what is happening today, you have to remember what was happening four years ago. He was seen as if he were a human being who had been kicked out of politics,” added Lula.

With information from agencies.

IS