- Title: Brazil's left sticks by wounded Lula with 'no Plan B'
- Date: 25th January 2018
- Summary: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (JANUARY 24, 2018) (REUTERS) GENERAL OF WORKERS PARTY RALLY WITH PEOPLE WAVING FLAGS AND CHEERING
- Embargoed: 8th February 2018 16:12
- Keywords: Brazil 2018 presidential elections Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Dilma Roussef Workers Party corruption conviction
- Location: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
- City: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0027ZM2CZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Brazil's Workers Party and labour leaders insisted on Thursday (January 25) that leftist icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be their candidate in this year's presidential race, despite failing to overturn a corruption conviction that will likely bar him.
Political observers expect the Workers Party to back his candidacy for as long as it possibly can, because it has no alternatives and without the charismatic Lula on the campaign trail, Brazil's second largest party in Congress faces oblivion.
Party leader Senator Gleisi Hoffmann said at the country's largest labour union headquarters that "we don't have a plan B," and, "Lula is our candidate for the 2018 (Brazilian presidential) elections."
The two-term former president, while popular, has slim chances of undoing Wednesday's (January 24) ruling by an appellate court. His exclusion raises the prospect of a reformer winning the October 7 election and sticking to Brazil's austerity program.
But Lula accepted the Workers Party nomination, which has to be formalized at a party convention.
"I want to be candidate to win the elections and govern this country," he said to a crowd that chanted "Lula for president."
Workers Party leaders called for a civil disobedience campaign to oppose his exclusion from the elections and said they will resist any move to arrest Lula, whose prison sentence was increased by the appeals court from nine to 12 years. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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