✓ verbatim from the press ? no verbatim passage
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated on Wednesday (17) during the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, that he "was never a leftist" and that "the world is of the middle path." The statement occurred in an informal conversation with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, and with the German Prime Minister, Friedrich Merz, captured by the official broadcast of the event. Lula also defended that the United Nations (UN) should adopt the Brazilian electronic voting model. ✓
Press quotes (2)
"O presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) disse nesta quarta-feira (17), durante uma conversa no G7, que "nunca" foi um "esquerdista"."
"Lula respondeu, contando uma história sobre não ter conseguido ir à Rússia nos anos 1980: "Mas eu nunca fui esquerdista."
According to Diário de Pernambuco, Lula was analyzing the alternation of right-wing and left-wing governments in major Western economies and concluded that the right remained in power longer. Georgieva then commented that when he was first elected president in 2002, there was an expectation that he would be "a leftist." Lula responded: "But I was never a leftist. Look, I was a union leader who had a beautiful relationship with German unions, a relationship with Italian unions, with Spain's UGT. In 1980, I had a congress in Russia to which I was invited and I didn't go to Russia because I was convicted under the national security law. I made a trip through Europe seeking solidarity and then I came to be treated as an anticommunist." ✓
Press quotes (1)
"Mas eu nunca fui esquerdista. Veja, eu era um dirigente sindical que tinha uma belíssima relação com o sindicalismo alemão, tinha uma relação com o sindicalismo italiano, com a UGT espanhola. Em 1980, eu tinha um congresso na Rússia em que fui convidado e não fui para a Rússia porque estava condenado pela lei de segurança nacional. Fiz uma viagem pela Europa angariando solidariedade e passei a ser tratado como anticomunista"
Before the conversation about politics, Lula explained the functioning of the Brazilian electoral system, from voter identification to the counting of results. According to Terra, the president stated: "Elections in Brazil are very fast. The election ends at 5 PM and by 7 PM we already have the results of 160 million votes. I don't know why the UN doesn't adopt the electronic system as guidance for other countries." Lula also said that Brazilian voters take about 30 seconds to complete their vote and that he is "the only one elected three times and possibly the only one elected four times." ?
Press quotes (1)
"A eleição no Brasil é muito rápida. A eleição termina às 17h e às 19h já temos os resultados de 160 milhões de votos. Eu não sei porque a ONU não adota o sistema eletrônico como orientação aos outros países"
The conversation took place shortly before the official start of Wednesday's G7 meeting. Lula is participating in the meeting as a guest. According to G1, in addition to the informal conversation, the Planalto Palace's planning was to use the visit to France to advance trade negotiations, strengthen Brazilian articulation, and discuss international affairs, such as wars, with emphasis on expanding access for Brazilian products to the European market, especially beef. ✓
Press quotes (1)
"O planejamento do Palácio do Planalto era usar a visita à França para avançar em negociações comerciais, reforçar a articulação brasileira e discutir temas da conjuntura internacional, como as guerras. Nas reuniões com líderes europeus, por exemplo, reforçar a ampliação do acesso dos produtos brasileiros ao mercado europeu, com destaque para a carne bovina."
The conversation was captured by the official broadcast of the leaders' arrival at the G7 in Évian-les-Bains, France, and occurred before the official start of the meetings
Lula explained the functioning of the Brazilian electronic voting system and said that elections end at 5 PM with results available at 7 PM for 160 million votes
Covered by only some sources, or where the accounts diverge.
Covered by only some sources (2)
Conexão Política stated that Lula's declaration contradicts the public positioning maintained by the president in recent years, citing a speech in Barcelona in April asking that no one be 'ashamed of being left-wing'
Lula said he is 'the only one elected three times and possibly the only one elected four times' to the presidency
Conflicting versions (1)
Location of the G7 event where the conversation was captured
-
What was the reaction of other G7 leaders to Lula's defense of the Brazilian electoral system?
Why it's still unknown: The reports only recorded a humorous response from Merz saying that "in Germany we don't have" the electronic system, but did not cover reactions from other leaders or subsequent discussions on the topic.
-
How was Lula's statement about never having been a leftist received by PT allies and left-wing movements in Brazil?
Why it's still unknown: None of the consulted outlets published reactions from PT leadership, allied parties, or social movements to Lula's statement, nor contextualized how the declaration relates to the president's public discourse in Brazil.
-
What were the concrete results of Lula's bilateral meetings with European leaders during the G7?
Why it's still unknown: G1 mentions that the planning was to discuss trade negotiations, Mercosur-EU agreement, defense cooperation and other topics, but does not report which commitments or advances were actually obtained in the meetings.