Rula's First Statement After Election Emphasizes 'Unity' "Brazil is One"

[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, who became Brazil's first three-term president in history, emphasized national unity in his victory speech on the 30th (local time), according to major foreign media reports on the same day.

After the official announcement of his confirmed victory that night, Lula tweeted, "When I take office on January 1st next year, I will serve as president not only for those who voted for me but for all 215 million Brazilians."

In the runoff presidential election held that day, Lula won with 50.9% of the vote, beating his rival Jair Bolsonaro by a margin of 1.8 percentage points. The gap between the two candidates' vote shares was the narrowest since Brazil introduced direct elections in 1989. This reflected the deep division between the supporters of the two candidates, leading to assessments that two Brazils were clashing.

Lula stressed, "There are not two Brazils. We are one country, one people, and a great people."

At a press conference held at the Tivoli Hotel in S?o Paulo, Lula appealed to the public to overcome division and unite, saying, "We must move away from a time stained by hatred." He also emphasized, "Regardless of whom you voted for in today's election, we must come together to create a country where everyone can dream again and where those dreams can come true."

According to AP News and others, Lula welcomed international cooperation to protect the Amazon rainforest. He promised to take bold measures to eradicate illegal logging in the Amazon, signaling his intention to end the indiscriminate development policies of current President Bolsonaro.

Lula stated that he would pursue fairer trade deals rather than leaving Brazil as a perpetual raw material exporter. He also pledged to strengthen the role of the state in economic policy and to support social welfare.

World leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, congratulated Lula on his third-term victory and expressed hopes for expanded cooperation.

President Biden congratulated Lula on Twitter, saying, "It was a free, fair, and trustworthy election. I look forward to continued cooperation between the United States and Brazil."

French President Emmanuel Macron also congratulated Lula on Twitter and pledged to renew the friendship and solidarity between France and Brazil together with Lula.

Leftist leaders from other South American countries also welcomed the return of Brazil's leftist patriarch Lula to the presidency. Gustavo Petro, Colombia's president who established the country's first leftist government in June, tweeted "Long live Lula" after Lula's victory. Bolivia's President Luis Arce wrote, "Congratulations, brother. Your victory strengthens democracy and integration in South America." Venezuelan President Nicol?s Maduro also commented, "Today, democracy has triumphed in Brazil."

Meanwhile, current Brazilian President Bolsonaro has made no public statements regarding the election results since Lula's victory was confirmed. It is also reported that he has not called Lula.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.