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JAILED former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva remains the Workers Party (PT) candidate for the presidency in October’s election, his party insists.
The PT announced yesterday evening after an eight-hour meeting that his candidacy will be registered on the final filing day, August 15.
It also said the former president, who is universally known to Brazilians as Lula, is a political prisoner and victim of “a violent arrest.”
“For all these reasons, for all his history, Lula remains as our candidate for the presidency and his candidacy will be registered on August 15, in accordance with the electoral legislation,” the party statement said.
Current legislation allows Brazil’s electoral court to reject Lula’s candidacy due to his conviction on corruption and money laundering charges.
He could appeal against that rejection, but his party would have only until September 17 to replace him as its candidate.
Despite his conviction, Lula leads the presidential opinion polls and still has appeals available to contest his sentence of 12 years and one month in prison and the conviction for allegedly trading influence in return for the promise of a beachfront apartment.
The once hugely popular leader strongly denies any wrongdoing in that case or in seven other corruption cases still pending against him.
He contends he is being politically persecuted to keep him off the ballot.
About 300 yards from his cell in the southern city of Curitiba, more than 1,000 supporters celebrated after hearing party leaders confirm that his candidacy will be registered “under any circumstances.”
While he remains in jail the PT leadership has decided to move the party headquarters to Curitiba.
A tribunal will meet tomorrow to rule on whether or not Lula will remain imprisoned on corruption charges.
His lawyer Cristiano Zanin told the Telesur media network that his client is a “political prisoner” who has committed no crime.
He criticised the court for not dealing with constitutional questions first before subjective issues such as habeas corpus.
“We will use all the judicial resorts available to prove Lula’s innocence and return to the political scene,” Mr Zanin declared.