Lula launches campaign to win back presidency

Former leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has kickstarted what he hopes will be a sensational finale to one of Latin America’s most extraordinary political careers, publicly declaring his intention to challenge Jair Bolsonaro for the presidency and urging citizens to unite against the far-right populist’s “incompetence and authoritarianism”.

Speaking at a rally in São Paulo, where the one-time lathe operator began his spectacular rise to power as a union leader more than four decades ago, Lula publicly spelled out his ambition to reclaim the presidency for the first time.

“I am certain that we are going to manage to stage the greatest peaceful revolution the world has ever seen,” the 76-year-old leftist told thousands of supporters, who had gathered for the launch of what Lula called a cross-party anti-Bolsonaro alliance called Vamos Juntos Pelo Brasil, or Let’s Pull Together for Brazil.

“We have a dream. We are moved by hope – and there is no force greater than the hope of a people who know they can be happy once more,” Lula said.