The president-elect of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, revealed this Friday that before taking office on January 1, He will travel to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden.
The PT leader, who leads a ten-party alliance from center to centre-right, also said he already has the 80% of its large cabinet of over 30 defined portfolios, but that the names will be known only in the middle of this month of December.
“We have a lot to talk about (with Biden) because the United States suffers from a democratic need like Brazil. The damage that (former President Donald) Trump left in American democracy was the same one left by Jair Bolsonaro. They both think the same way,” he said of the outgoing Brazilian president.
Lula said he will finalize the date of his visit to the United States. next Monday, in the meeting that in Brasilia with the national security adviser of the White House, Jake Sullivan. Washington has not appointed an ambassador to Brazil, a post that will henceforth be filled.
“I want to talk about politics, the relationship between the two countries, about the role of Brazil in the new world geopolitics, about Ukraine, including about the need for that war,” he said, without clarifying the meaning of that reference.
In an interview before the October election, with the magazine Time, the now president-elect surprised by criticizing the Ukrainian leader Volodimir Zelensky.
The ministers
As for the ministers, Lula has distanced himself from the strong expectations that exist in the markets, especially the financial one. “I will graduate on December 12, after I will be recognized and graduated President of the Republic, I will begin to choose my ministry nobody has to be nervousI already have 80% of the ministers in mind”.
As for the Ministry of Economy, for which former presidential candidate Fernando Haddad is assumed to be the main option, he assured that his intention is to appoint someone “with the face” of his first term. He recalled that in his governments Brazil has recorded the highest economic growth in the last thirty years.
He clarified that his economy minister will have autonomy but that he will make the decisions, “because I was the one who won the election and I know what’s good for the people and what’s good for the market.”
Lula said he will continue to hold consultations before introducing the 30 or so future members of his cabinet. “I don’t want to build a ministry for myself, but for the political forces that They helped win the election.
Some observers believe that the definition of future ministers could help in the elaboration in Congress of the Proposal for Constitutional Amendment (PEC) which will make it possible to increase the budget in 2023 and thus be able to fund social programs.
The PT requests $38 billion for this purpose. Haddad is an academic and close associate of the president-elect, but not well received by the market.
There is also speculation about who will lead the Defense portfolio, a sensitive area given the criticism Lula has received from the military and the closeness of the military to President Bolsonaro, who is a retired army captain.
According to Hadad, another possible destination for Lula by the end of the year will be Argentina, Brazil’s main partner in Mercosur. The transition team rules out a visit to China for now, which is planned, but there would be no time to do so in the weeks leading up to the hiring date.
This Friday’s press conference was the first since the president-elect has been subjected to laryngeal surgery almost 2 weeks ago at the Syrian Lebanese Hospital in San Pablo. Lula, who had cancer of the larynx in 2011 and survived it, has announced that this Saturday she will undergo a series of medical checks.
“My throat is fine, I spoke to my speech therapist today and she said my throat is improving, there were people who had the same surgery and didn’t speak for a month, I haven’t gone a day without speaking , I have divine help”he has declared
Brasilia. Agencies and Clarin
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.