Along side political allies, President Lula delivered a speech on Avenida Paulista to a crowd ofMore than one million people took to the streets of the state capital this Sunday (11).
The candidate for re-election from the Workers' Party (PT) highlighted the strength of youth mobilization both within and outside social media, emphasizing the importance of young people's participation in politics to ensure dignity and rights.
"This act is a lesson. Either you engage in political life, or it will never be fixed. You have to take responsibility, while you are young, to get involved in the struggle. This country cannot lose democracy, no matter how bad it is," he stated.
700,000 deaths
Lula also recalled the actions of Jair Bolsonaro's government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The president criticized the denialism and lack of humanity he attributed to Bolsonaro during the health crisis, which has killed over 700,000 people in Brazil, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
"Do you know what it's like for a president to laugh at people dying from lack of oxygen? Have you seen how many people were buried in black bags, unable to say goodbye to their families, because we had an irresponsible president who doubted science and medicine? Who prescribed medication that didn't work for anything!" Lula emphasized.
Winning votes.
During his speech,Lulastressed the importance of voter participation in the second round, scheduled for October 25th. The president mentioned the number of abstentions in the first round and highlighted the need to talk to elderly people about the importance of voting.
"We had over 30 million people who didn't vote. Many people over 70 years old didn't vote because the law doesn't require them to. We need to talk to people between 60 and 70 years old who think they don't need to vote. Being 60 or 70 doesn't make a person useless. If the person doesn't want to vote, it should be done through their son, grandchild, great-grandchild, and for the country to take care of it," the president emphasized.
Lula also made reference to his own age when talking about motivation:
If Lula, at 81 years old, has the energy he does, it's because I want to prove that age doesn't make us old. What makes us old is a lack of motivation.
In addition to Lula, the following speakers addressed the audience: Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin; the elected governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues; the elected governor of Ceará, Elmano de Freitas; the elected governor of Piauí, Rafael Fonteles; and First Lady Janja.