“The polls can always be wrong by 2 or 4 points,” he later clarified, and although he warned that “Bolsonaro is very out of control” because “he cannot maintain the lies that he is going to win,” he considered that “there are no internal or external conditions “as for a sector of the Armed Forces to get involved in an attempt to ignore the result if it is unfavorable for the former Army captain.
For the philosopher and political scientist of Lebanese descent, it is no coincidence that last Wednesday the US Senate unanimously approved resolution 753, “a decision that states that if there is a coup (in Brazil), the United States should break trade relations” , as he pointed out when speaking with this agency.
In the midst of the countdown to the presidential elections, Sader – who never hid his preference for Lula – spent three days in Buenos Aires, where he held political meetings and participated in union activities, an agenda in which he spoke with his interlocutors about some of the projects that he imagines -and wishes- for the next Government of Brazil: a progressive tax reform and the push for a common currency.
-Télam: Can the debate on Thursday night in O Globo have any influence?
-Emir Sader: The surveys say that about 10% of people have not yet decided their vote. However, it was not a debate that could affect those people. I honestly think it doesn’t change. The undecided are decided based on those who have already decided. All the attacks focused on Lula, because he is the favorite to win. And Bolsonaro is very out of control, because as the elections get closer he cannot keep up the lies that he is going to win.
-T: In Brazil and Argentina, the irruption of hate in politics is worrying. If Lula wins the elections, how will she live with what Bolsonaro represents in Brazilian society?
-ES: In Latin America the extreme right is here to stay. Before it was residual, of one or two candidates, something semi-folkloric; now there is a sector of middle layers and even of popular sectors that has radicalized towards the extreme right. There are underlying reasons: frustration with the economic system itself, which does not attend to their needs, but also a hate speech that in the case of Argentina is concentrated against Cristina (Fernández de Kirchner), as in Brazil against Lula. Faced with this situation, we must win over public opinion and reverse judicial decisions. Conquer the support of some and isolate others. Bolsonarism, in recent weeks, has killed four Lulistas. They are statistically isolated cases but of course there are already. Hate speech induces people to carry out acts of killing other people.
-T: You wrote in Page/12 about what “the new Lula” will be like. And he defined it as “anti-neoliberal in its economic ideas, as always.” The progressive governments of the region have an imprint of greater moderation than in the first decade of the century.
-ES: Look, the two axes of Lula’s campaign are to restore democracy and develop an anti-neoliberal economic program. Those are. Of course, in the composition of the Government it will be broad. You have to go through stages. Lula is clear that his government is going to be one of national reconstruction. His promises are “democracy” but above all “eat well”. The historic discourse of the PT. And the first thing he is going to do is send a tax reform to Congress, because the State needs money. For the first time there seems to be a consensus that the richest should pay more taxes. That will be the first test of the new Congress. In addition, Lula has this proposal to create a common South American currency, with the idea of de-dollarizing trade in the region. There is already a wave with that in the BRICS, they are going in that direction. That means creating a South American central bank. Creating a common currency is something that we even discussed with Alberto Fernández and he told me that they would be very interested in him. Brazil would put its reserves as collateral for that new currency.
-T: This election will take place in the midst of a strong dispute for global hegemony between the US and China, and in the midst of Russia’s war with Ukraine and, to a certain extent, with NATO. Will the external framework influence the coming Brazil? What will Lula’s relationship with the US be like?
-ES: Well, last week there was a meeting with the State Department. Regarding Brazil, it is clear that (the US) prefers Lula. Because Bolsonaro is Trump. But even with the Republicans, Lula had a good relationship. She did not accept any proposal to (go to) war in Iraq or anything, but she lived with it. In addition, for the first time, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico will be united, and to this are added Colombia and Chile, which have always been the privileged of the US in Latin America.
-T: What will be the future of Bolsonaro and what he represents?
-ES: Today, in Brazil, Bolsonaro behaves as if antipetismo (the absolute rejection of the PT) were predominant, but it is no longer. It is for a minority sector. Now the determining factor is the anti-Bolsonaro. That is why Lula unifies and allows such a broad front.
Bolsonaro is finished politically due to the very serious (judicial) processes that he has. Like the scheme that in Brazil is called “rachadinha” (diversion of staff funds, for which one of Bolsonaro’s sons, Flavio, is being investigated). I take it for granted that he is going to lose his political rights, but Bolsonaroism is the issue, others can lead it. Because Bolsonarism is not an individual phenomenon, it is a social phenomenon.
Source: Ambito
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