Lula stand-in fighting the far right
Fernando Haddad is the last hope for those dreading a far-right win in Brazil’s presidential election, but the measured university professor lacks the charisma of his mentor, ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In an election that is largely about the one candidate who cannot run — the popular but imprisoned Lula, who is serving 12 years for corruption — Haddad, 55, has struggled to fill the shoes of his onetime boss, who led Brazil through the boom years of 2003 to 2010, before both the country and his left-wing political project went bust.
Brought in late in the game when it became clear the courts would not let the former president run, Haddad spent half the race selling himself as “Lula’s man,” and the other half doing the opposite. Haddad launched his campaign in front of the prison where Lula is being held, and the Lula brand initially helped the relative unknown — a former Sao Paulo mayor and education minister — tap into the ex-president’s broad popularity.
But after far-right ex-army captain Jair Bolsonaro nearly won the first-round election outright on October 7, Haddad changed his strategy for the run-off. He began emphasising what he says is Bolsonaro’s “fascism” and the threat he poses to democracy.
“My adversary foments violence, including a culture of rape,” Haddad said, recalling an episode when Bolsonaro told a congresswoman she didn’t “deserve” to be raped by him. Haddad insists the race is not a done deal, pointing to a narrowing gap in the polls.
An academic with degrees in law, economics and philosophy, Haddad is the son of a Lebanese shopkeeper and an education student, and came of age as a “political being,” steeped in public life since his university days, he told the daily El Pais two years ago. Known for his laid-back manner, he has spent most of his political career in Lula’s shadow.