In 2016, Brazilians went to the polls to elect the first left-wing president in the country’s history. Now, two years later, support for the largest political party under the country’s constitution is slipping. A yellow-haired protestor has seized the government’s campaign bus to hand out free bus fare on a recent leg of the election’s campaign. This is the latest display of the tone and energy of Brazil’s campaign, which has often bordered on the religious and populist.
Check out the scene outside the billboard of President Lula https://t.co/MUnRaQsQi4 — David Zucchino (@DavidZucchino) October 3, 2016
The party belongs to the union-affiliated Workers’ Party (PT), which, in turn, is tied to the country’s first black president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula was jailed in April in a criminal corruption investigation that has polarized Brazil. But Lula won’t be able to run for re-election due to a seven-year ban.
Ramidou Pulfat, a member of PT’s Workers’ Party led by Lula, died last week while seeking treatment for health problems. The cause of death is not yet known, but rumors that the central party leader may have contracted swine flu have since surfaced.
Pulfat had been hospitalized with a blood clot for several days, his doctor wrote in a report obtained by G1.
According to the official records of this campaig, Damidou died at 0015 as the result of infected nevarial venous thrombosis (C&T), that occurred as result of efforts to remove blood clots
Lula’s son, Cleber Santana Lula da Silva, returned to the campaign trail yesterday, showing up on stage at a rally in Sao Paulo wearing his father’s yellow jersey — though both were ousted from the party amid the corruption investigation and allegations of other dodgy business practices.
These are ugly days in Brazil. But elections are another matter.
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