- Title: Brazil's Workers Party looks to Lula to rise from ashes
- Date: 2nd June 2017
- Summary: BRASILIA, BRAZIL (JUNE 2, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF WORKERS PARTY MEETING WITH PROJECTION ON STAGE THAT READS "THE NEW TYPE OF COUP IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE LULA CASE" AUDIENCE LISTENING ON WORKERS PARTY PRESIDENT RUI FALCAO SPEAKING AT MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) WORKERS PARTY PRESIDENT, RUI FALCAO, SAYING: "The coup happening now appeared suddenly. Congress is working, it says there is freedom of the press but we have a media oligarchy which manipulates, distorts and sabotages information. Ideologies are made through the news and including soap operas." GENERAL VIEW OF MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) WORKERS PARTY PRESIDENT, RUI FALCAO, SAYING: "The usurper president (Michel Temer) is practically unfeasible (in power) due to allegations of corruption. He tries to defend himself by saying the economy is going well, that it will improve. In case he leaves, there are rehearsals by leading figures for indirect elections, which we also consider to be a coup. So, democracy needs to be evaluated, democracy needs to be defended." PAN OF AUDIENCE AND OFFICIALS ON STAGE AT MEETING BANNER WITH NAME OF WORKERS PARTY OFFICIAL ON IT WORKERS PARTY SUPPORTERS AT STALLS TO BUY PARTY PARAPHERNALIA T-SHIRT WITH IMAGE OF PRESIDENT MICHEL TEMER THAT READS "OUT WITH TEMER" T-SHIRT WITH IMAGE OF FORMER PRESIDENT LULA THAT READS "NOT SCARED TO BE HAPPY" WOMAN SHOWING SHIRT TO CUSTOMER PINS AND KEYRINGS ON SALE PIN OF CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY CHE GUEVARA PINS WITH WORKERS PARTY LOGOS ON THEM
- Embargoed: 17th June 2017 00:46
- Keywords: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva elections Brazil Workers Party
- Location: BRASILIA, BRAZIL
- City: BRASILIA, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0016JQ2C77
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Brazil's once all-mighty Workers Party, driven into the political wilderness by its fall from power in the midst of a massive graft scandal, is struggling to find its footing ahead of next year's general election. Some analysts say the party is many years away from ever winning back the power it once firmly held.
But party members are optimistic, saying that their single biggest asset, the charisma of its founder and former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, remains a potent political force, despite Lula's facing five corruption trials.
A return of the PT, the Portuguese acronym by which the party is known, worries investors who fear it would reverse the unpopular fiscal reforms proposed in President Michel Temer's austerity drive.
At a convention this week aimed at rebuilding the party, corruption allegations levelled against President Michel Temer was high on the agenda.
Temer was reportedly instrumental in engineering the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff from the Workers Party.
Opinion polls show Lula ahead for the 2018 race, though he is burdened by having the highest rejection rates among all potential hopefuls whose supporters would likely unite against him in a run-off.
The real question is whether he will make it to the start line. A conviction for corruption followed by the loss of a first appeal would disqualify him from running. A ruling in the first graft case against him is expected by July.
Lula has already said publicly that he wants to run in 2018, but has not yet made it official to avoid compounding his legal problems, aides have reported.
Analysts say the fall of the PT was so great that the party will take a long time to recover and will be in no shape to win an election any time soon. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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