Brazil’s Lula, election rival hold dueling rallies — after gunfire
CURITIBA, Brazil: Brazil’s fiery leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his right-wing rival planned duelling presidential campaign rallies yesterday, hours after Lula’s party said shots were fired at his bus convoy.
Lula’s 10-day campaign tour through southern Brazil has already been targeted by opponents throwing stones and raw eggs at the buses — and at the two-term former president while he spoke on stage.
The apparent gunshots late Tuesdayfurtherrampeduptension ahead of the tour’s culminating rally in the city of Curitiba.
“Our convoy is being targeted by fascist groups,” Lula tweeted after bullets allegedly hit two buses. No one was hurt in the incident.
Gleisi Hoffmann, leader of the Workers’ Party, which Lula founded, said the incident should be investigated as a possible assassination attempt.
“We hope we will have security, that the national and state police, as well as the intelligence services, do their jobs so that we can rally in a peaceful and democratic way,” she told AFP.
Adding to the fevered atmosphere around Lula — who leads in polls for the Oct 7 election, despite having been sentenced to 12 years in prison for corruption — his closest rival was also due to appear in Curitiba yesterday.
Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain who praises Brazil’s two-decade-long military dictatorship, was due to arrive in Curitiba by plane, with supporters expected to meet him at the airport. — AFP