Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized on Wednesday the alleged electoral use that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro allegedly made of the celebrations for the bicentennial of the country's independence.
"When I was president, I had the opportunity to participate in two parties on September 7, one in 2006 and another in 2010, in the middle of the election period. And at no time did we use the day of the Brazilian people, the greatest day of our country, as an instrument of electoral politics," said Lula as a reproach to his political adversary, according to 'Folha de S.Paulo'.
The former Brazilian president urged Bolsonaro to discuss Brazil's problems and to tell "how he is going to solve the problem of education, health, unemployment and the contraction of the minimum wage", instead of "talking about political campaign and trying to attack me".
During the day on Wednesday, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro delivered a speech to his supporters with a strong electoral tone, seeking to attack Lula, deny suspicions of corruption in his government and repeat attacks on the Supreme Court (STF).
Hours earlier, and after attending a military parade in the capital, Brasilia, Bolsonaro also addressed dozens of supporters gathered around the Esplanade of the Ministries, to whom he not only asked for their vote, but invited them to change the minds of those who have in mind to bet on another candidate.
"The will of the people will be present on October 2. Let's all vote, let's convince those who think differently from us, let's convince them of what is best for our Brazil", said Bolsonaro, according to the Brazilian newspaper 'O Globo'.
At this point, the president insisted that "evil" governed the country for 14 years, in a clear allusion to the mandates of former presidents Dilma Rousseff (2011-2017) and Lula da Silva (2004-2011), who is now emerging as his main rival in the elections.