Wounded political giant Lula vows to fight on

Brazilian ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hinted strongly at seeking a return to power Monday in a fiery speech that dismissed corruption charges against him as persecution. Lula, who was massively popular when he left office in 2010 and remains a giant of the Latin American left, was campaigning in western Rio de Janeiro […]

Brazilian ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hinted strongly at seeking a return to power Monday in a fiery speech that dismissed corruption charges against him as persecution.
Lula, who was massively popular when he left office in 2010 and remains a giant of the Latin American left, was campaigning in western Rio de Janeiro on behalf of Jandira Feghali, a communist candidate running for mayor in local elections next Sunday.
But the appearance before some 1,000 excited activists in front of a brick church was far more about Lula’s own campaign to make a comeback at the 2018 presidential election.
“You will be my electoral support in 2018,” he said to enthusiastic cheers, also vowing “to keep fighting for this country.”
A onetime barely literate shoeshine boy who founded the Workers’ Party or PT and became one of Brazil’s most influential presidents, Lula spent much of the half-hour speech recalling his achievements in reducing poverty and expanding education.