A day after Brazil’s capital was stormed by his predecessor’s supporters, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva worked from his office, where he met with the country’s governors as well as the heads of congress and the Supreme Court.
(Bloomberg) — A day after Brazil’s capital was stormed by his predecessor’s supporters, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva worked from his office, where he met with the country’s governors as well as the heads of congress and the Supreme Court.
“We are not going to allow democracy to slip out of our hands,” Lula said at the meeting. “They want a coup, and there won’t be a coup.”
All 27 governors accepted Lula’s invitation — even allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro such as the governor of São Paulo state, Tarcísio de Freitas — to meet in the Palácio do Planalto, damaged by rioters the day before.
“Brazilian democracy will become even stronger,” the governor said following the meeting.
The president, governors, heads of congress and court justices then all walked together to the top court building, which had also been vandalized, as demonstrations in defense of democracy took place in several cities nationwide, including São Paulo.
In Congress, also attacked Sunday, a decree to intervene in the Federal District government through the end of January was approved by the lower house in a symbolic vote. The senate will take up the bill on Tuesday.
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