President-Elect Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's
Election Night SpeechMy friends,
We have reached the end of one of the most important elections in our history. An election
that put two opposing projects for the country face to face, and that today has only one great
winner: the Brazilian people.
This is not my victory, or the PT's victory, or the victory of the parties that supported me in
this campaign. It is the victory of a huge democratic movement that was formed, above
political parties, personal interests and ideologies, so that democracy could win.
On this historic October 30, the majority of the Brazilian people made it clear that they want
more democracy, not less.
They want more social inclusion and opportunities for all, not less. They want there to be
more respect and understanding among Brazilians, not less. In short, they want more freedom,
equality, and fraternity in our country, not less.
The Brazilian people showed today that they want more than to exercise their sacred right to
choose who will govern their lives. They want to participate actively in the decisions of the
government.
The Brazilian people showed today that they want more than just the right to protest that they
are hungry, that there are no jobs, that their salary is insufficient to live with dignity, that they
have no access to health and education, that they lack a roof over their heads to live and to
raise their children safely, that there are no prospects for the future.
The Brazilian people want to live well, eat well, have a good home. They want a good job, a
salary always adjusted above inflation, they want quality health care and public
education.
They want religious freedom. They want books instead of guns. They want to go to the
theater, see cinema, have access to all cultural activities, because culture feeds our soul.
The Brazilian people want hope back.
This is how I understand democracy. Not just as a beautiful word written in law, but as
something tangible, that we feel in our skin, and that we can build in everyday life.
It was this democracy, in the broadest sense of the term, that the Brazilian people chose today
at the ballot box. It was this democracy — real, concrete — that we committed to throughout
our campaign.
And it is this democracy that we will seek to build every day of our government. With
economic growth distributed among the entire population, because this is how the economy
should work -- as an instrument to improve the lives of all, and not to perpetuate
inequalities.
The wheel of the economy will start turning again, with job creation, wage appreciation and
renegotiation of the debts of families who have lost their purchasing power.
The wheel of the economy will turn again with the poor included in the budget. With support
for small and medium-sized rural producers, who are responsible for 70 per cent of the food
that reaches our tables.
With every possible incentive for micro and small entrepreneurs, so that they can put their
extraordinary creative potential at the service of the country's development.
It is necessary to go further. Strengthen policies to combat violence against women, and
ensure that women earn the same salaries as men for equal work.
To fight relentlessly against racism, prejudice and discrimination, so that whites, Blacks and
Indigenous people have the same rights and opportunities.
This is the only way we will be able to build a country for all. An egalitarian Brazil, whose
priority is the people who need it most.
A Brazil with peace, democracy and opportunities.
My friends,
As of January 1, 2023, I will govern for 215 million Brazilians, and not only for those who
voted for me. There are not two Brazils. We are a single country, a single people, a great
nation.
It is of no interest to anyone to live in a family where discord reigns. It's time to bring
families back together, to rebuild the bonds of friendship broken by the criminal spread of
hate.
No one is interested in living in a divided country, in a permanent state of war.
This country needs peace and unity. The people do not want to fight anymore. The people are
tired of seeing the other as an enemy to be feared or destroyed.
It's time to put down the weapons that should never have been taken up. Guns kill. And we
choose life.
The challenge is immense. This country must be rebuilt in all its dimensions. In politics, in
the economy, in public management, in institutional harmony, in international relations and,
above all, in caring for the people most in need.
We need to rebuild the very soul of this country. To recover generosity, solidarity, respect for
differences, and love for one's neighbour.
To bring back the joy of being Brazilian, and the pride we always had in the Green and
Yellow and the flag of our country. This Green and Yellow and this flag that belong to no
one but the Brazilian people.
Our most urgent commitment is to end hunger again. We cannot accept as normal that
millions of men, women and children in this country have nothing to eat, or that they
consume fewer calories and proteins than necessary.
If we are the world's third largest producer of food and the first in animal protein, if we have
technology and a huge amount of arable land, if we are able to export to the entire world,
then we have the duty to guarantee that every Brazilian can have breakfast, lunch and dinner
every day.
This will, once again, be the number one commitment of our government.
We cannot accept as normal that entire families are forced to sleep on the streets, exposed to
the cold, rain and violence.
Therefore, we will resume Minha Casa, Minha Vida (My House, My Life), with priority for
low-income families, and bring back the social inclusion programs that lifted 36 million
Brazilians out of extreme poverty.
Brazil can no longer live with this immense bottomless pit, this wall of concrete and
inequality that separates Brazil into unequal parts that do not recognize each other. This
country needs to recognize itself. It needs to reconnect with itself.
Beyond fighting extreme poverty and hunger, we are going to reestablish dialogue in this
country.
We have to reestablish the dialogue with the Legislature and the Judiciary. Without attempts
to exaggerate, intervene, control, or co-opt, but rather to rebuild a harmonious, republican
coexistence among the three branches of government.
Democratic normality is consecrated in the Constitution. It establishes the rights and
obligations of each power, each institution, the Armed Forces, and each one of us.
The Constitution governs our collective existence, and no one, absolutely no one, is above it,
no one has the right to ignore it or to flout it.
It is also more urgent than ever to resume the dialogue between the people and the
government.
That's why we'll bring back the national conferences. So that the interested parties can choose
their priorities, and present the government with suggestions for public policies for each
sector: education, health, security, women's rights, racial equality, youth, housing, and so
many others.
Let's resume the dialogue with the governors and the mayors, to define together the priority
public works for each population.
It doesn't matter which party the governor and the mayor belong to. Our commitment will
always be to improve the lives of the people of each state and each municipality in this
country.
We will also reestablish the dialogue between government, businessmen, workers and
organized civil society, with the return of the Council for Economic and Social
Development.
In other words, the major political decisions that impact the lives of 215 million Brazilians
will not be made in secret, in the dead of night, but after a broad dialogue with society.
I believe that the main problems of Brazil, of the world, of the human being, can be solved
with dialogue, and not with brute force.
Let no one doubt the power of the word, when it comes to seeking understanding and the
common good.
My friends,
In my international travels and in my meetings with leaders from many countries, what I hear
most is that the world misses Brazil.
Longing for that sovereign Brazil, that spoke as an equal with the richest and most powerful
countries. And that at the same time contributed to the development of the poorer
countries.
The Brazil that supported the development of African countries, through cooperation,
investment, and technology transfer.
Who worked for the integration of South America, Latin America and the Caribbean, who
strengthened Mercosur, and helped create the G20, UNASUR, CELAC and BRICS.
Today we say to the world that Brazil is back. That Brazil is too big to be relegated to this
sad role of the world's pariah.
We will win back the credibility, the predictability and the stability of the country, so that
investors — domestic and foreign — will regain confidence in Brazil. So that they stop seeing
our country as a source of immediate and predatory profit, and become our partners in the
resumption of economic growth with social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
We want fairer international trade. We want to resume our partnerships with the United States
and the European Union on new terms. We are not interested in trade agreements that
condemn our country to the eternal role of exporter of commodities and raw materials.
Let us re-industrialize Brazil, let us invest in the green and digital economy, let us support the
creativity of our businessmen and entrepreneurs. We want to export knowledge as well.
We will fight again for new global governance, with the inclusion of more countries in the
UN Security Council and with the end of the veto, which undermines the balance between
nations.
We are ready to re-engage in the fight against hunger and inequality in the world, and in
efforts to promote peace among peoples.
Brazil is ready to resume its protagonism in the fight against the climate crisis, protecting all
of our ecosystems, especially the Amazon forest.
Under our government, we were able to reduce deforestation in the Amazon by 80 per cent,
considerably reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.
Now, let's fight for zero deforestation of the Amazon.
Brazil and the planet need a living Amazon. A standing tree is worth more than tons of wood
illegally extracted by those who think only of easy profit, at the expense of the deterioration
of life on Earth.
A river of clean water is worth much more than all the gold extracted at the expense of
mercury that kills animals and puts human life at risk.
When an Indigenous child is murdered by the greed of the exploiters of the environment, a
part of humanity dies along with it.
For this reason, we will resume monitoring and surveillance of the Amazon, and combat any
and all illegal activity — whether it be mining, logging or illegal agriculture.
At the same time, we will promote the sustainable development of the communities that live
in the Amazon region. We will prove once again that it is possible to generate wealth without
destroying the environment.
We are open to international cooperation to preserve the Amazon, whether in the form of
investment or scientific research. But always under the leadership of Brazil, without ever
renouncing our sovereignty.
We are committed to Indigenous peoples, to the other peoples of the forest, and to
biodiversity. We want environmental peacemaking.
We are not interested in a war for the environment, but we are ready to defend it from any
threat.
My friends,
The new Brazil that we will build on January 1 is not only of interest to the Brazilian people,
but to all people who work for peace, solidarity and brotherhood, anywhere in the world.
Last Wednesday, Pope Francis sent an important message to Brazil, praying that the Brazilian
people will be free of hatred, intolerance and violence.
I want to say that we wish the same, and we will work tirelessly for a Brazil where love
prevails over hate, truth conquers lies, and hope is greater than fear.
Every day of my life I am reminded of the greatest teaching of Jesus Christ, which is to love
your neighbour. So I believe that the most important virtue of a good leader will always be
love — for his country and for his people.
As far as we are concerned, there is no lack of love in this country. We will take great care of
Brazil and the Brazilian people. We will live in a new time. One of peace, of love and of
hope.
A time when the Brazilian people will once again have the right to dream. And the
opportunities to accomplish all that they dream of.
For this, I invite each and every Brazilian, regardless of which candidate they voted for in this
election. More than ever, let's work together for Brazil, focusing on what unites us, rather
than on our differences.
I know the scale of the mission that history has in store for me, and I know that I will not be
able to fulfill it alone. I will need everyone — political parties, workers, businessmen,
congressmen, governors, mayors, people of all religions. Brazilians who dream of a more
developed, fairer, and more fraternal Brazil.
I will say again what I said during the whole campaign. Something that was never just the
mere promise of a candidate, but a profession of faith, a lifetime commitment.
O Brasil tem jeito (Brazil has a way forward). All of us together will be able to fix
this country, and build a Brazil the size of our dreams — with opportunities to transform them
into reality.
Once again, I renew my eternal gratitude to the Brazilian people. A big hug, and may God
bless our journey.
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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