Victory speech by Brazilian President Elected Luis Inácio Lula da Silva - Translation by Graciano D.S. Soares

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge all comrades who are here behind me, who played an important part in this campaign. [...]

We have come to the end of one of the most important elections of our history. An election that brought together two opposing projects for the country and that today has only one and unique winner: the Brazilian people.

This is not a victory of mine, nor of PT’s. Nor is it a victory of the political parties that backed me in this campaign. It is a victory of an immense democratic movement that was formed above and beyond the political parties, individual interests or ideologies, so that democracy could win. On this historic 30th of October, the majority of the Brazilian people made it crystal clear that they desire more and not less democracy. They desire more, and not less social inclusivity and opportunities for all; they desire more, and not less respect and understanding amongst the Brazilian people. In summary, they desire more, and not less freedom, equality, and fraternity in our country.

The Brazilian people showed today they desire more than exercising the sacred right to choose who will govern their lives. They want to play an active part in the decisions of government.

The Brazilian people showed today that they desire more than just the right to protest because they are hungry, because there is no work or because their salary is insufficient to live with dignity; because they don’t have access to health, education; because they do not have a roof to live under and raise their children safely. Because there’s no future prospect for them.

The Brazilian people want to live well; want to eat well, live well. They want an occupation, a fair salary that is always adjusted above inflation. They want to have health, education, welfare and quality. They want freedom of religion; they want books rather than guns; they want to go to the theatre, watch films, and access all the arts because culture feeds our soul.

The Brazilian people want to have their hope back. This is how I understand democracy. Not simply like a beautiful word written in the laws. But as something palpable that we feel on our skin and that we can construct daily.?

It was this democracy, in its broadest term, that the Brazilian people chose today at the ballot box.

It was with this concrete, real democracy that we committed ourselves throughout our campaign. And it is this democracy that we aim to build on each day of our government, through economic growth - shared amongst all the population, because that is how the economy should work, as an instrument to improve the lives of everyone, and not to perpetuate inequality.

The wheels of the economy will turn once more to generate jobs, strengthen salaries and renegotiation of the debts of the families that have lost their capacity to buy.

The wheels of the economy will turn again having the poor as part of the budget; with support for small and medium rural producers, responsible for 70% of the food that arrive on our tables; with all incentives possible for the micro and medium enterprises so that they can put their extraordinary creative potential to the service of the development of the country.

But we need to go further. Strengthen the policies to deter attacks against women and ensure that they earn the same salary men earn in the same job.

Tirelessly combat racism, prejudice, and discrimination so that whites, blacks and indigenous people may have the same rights and opportunities.

Only thus, will we be able to build a country for everyone. An egalitarian Brazil whose priority are those who most need. A Brazil with peace, democracy and opportunity.

Dear friends, from the 1st of January 2023, I will govern for 215 million Brazil men and women, and not just for those who voted for me. There is not two 'Brazis'. We are only one country, only one people, one great nation.

No one is interested in living in a family where disagreement reigns. It is time to reunite the families again. Remake the friendship links torn by the criminal propagation of hatred. It benefits no one to live in a country in permanent state of war.

This country needs peace and union. People do not want to fight any more. They are tired of seeing in the other the enemy and being feared or destroyed. It is time to put down the guns that should never have been drawn. Guns kill, and we have chosen life.

The challenge is immense. We need to rebuild this country in all its dimensions. In its politics, its economy, public administration, institutional harmony, international relations and above all in the care for those who need the most.

We need to rebuild the soul of this country. Recover the generosity, solidarity, respect for differences and our love to the other. Bring back the happiness of being Brazilian and the pride that we have always had in the green and yellow of our country’s flag. This green and yellow and this flag belong to no one except the Brazilian people.

Our most pressing commitment is to eradicate hunger, again.

We cannot accept as the norm that millions of men, women and children in this country do not have enough to eat or that they consume less than the calories and proteins needed.

If we are the third largest producer of food, and the first producer of animal protein, if we have the technology and an immense arable land, if we are capable of exporting to the whole world, we have the duty to ensure that all Brazilians can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

This will be once again the number one commitment of our government.

We cannot accept as the norm that families have to sleep on the streets, exposed to the cold, rain and violence. For this reason, we will reinstitute the ‘My house, my life’ programme, prioritising low-income families, and bring back the inclusion programmes that elevated 36 million Brazilians out of extreme poverty.

Brazil can no longer live with this immense bottomless pit, this concrete wall of inequality that separates the country into unequal parts that do not recognise each other. This country needs to recognise itself; it needs to meet itself again.

On top of combating extreme poverty and hunger, we will re-establish dialogue in this country. We need to re-establish dialogues with the Legislative and Judiciary without trying to abuse, control or corrupt, but looking to rebuild a harmonious, republican relationship among all the three balances of power.

The democratic norm is consecrated in the Constitution. It is it that establishes the rights and responsibilities of each branch of government, the armed forces and of each of us. The Constitution regulates our collective existence and no one, absolutely no one, is beyond it. Nobody has the right to ignore it or disrespect it.

It is also extremely urgent to re-establish dialogue between the people and the government. That is why we will bring back the national conferences so that interested parties may elect their priorities and submit to government public policies for each area: education, health, security, the rights of women, racial equalities, youth, housing, culture and many more.

We will re-establish dialogues with governors and mayor to define together the priorities for each region. It won’t matter which political party a governor or mayor is from. Our commitment will always be to improve the lives of the population of each estate and each municipal region of this country.

We will also re-establish dialogue between government, business, workers and organised civil societies through the return of the Economic and Social Development Council.

Therefore, the big political decisions that impact the lives of 215 million Brazilians will not be taken secretly, at the quite of the night, but after an ample dialogue with society.

I believe that the main problems affecting Brazil, the world and humanity may be solved with dialogue, and not with brute force.

Let no one doubt the force a word has when it comes to finding understanding and the common good.

My dear friends, in my international trips and through the contacts I’ve been having with leaders from various countries, what I most hear is that the world misses Brazil. They miss that sovereign country that spoke as equal to richer and more powerful countries and at the same time contributed to the development of developing nations. The Brazil that supported the development of African countries through cooperation, investment, and technology transfer. That worked for the integration of Latin America, South America and the Caribbean; that strengthened the Mercosur, and helped create the G20, UNASUL, CELAC, and BRICS. Today, we are saying to the world that Brazil is back; that Brazil is too big to be relegated to the role of pariah in the world.

We will regain the credibility, predictability and stability of the country so that international investors can re-establish their trust in Brazil. So that they may no longer see Brazil as a source of immediate, predatory profit and become partners in the re-establishment of economic growth with social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

We want an international market that is fairer. Renegotiate our partnerships with the United States and the European Union under new terms. We have no interests in commercial agreements that condemn our country to this eternal role of exporter of commodities and raw material.

We will re-industrialise Brazil. Invest in the green digital economy. Invest in the creativity of our businesses and entrepreneurs. We also want to export our know-how.

We will fight once again for a new global governance, with the inclusion of more countries in the United Nations Security Council and with the end of the right to veto that damages the equilibrium amongst nations.

We are ready to engage in the fight against hunger and world inequality but also in the effort to promote peace between nations. Brazil is ready to resume its position in the fight against the climate crisis to protect all our biomes, above all the Amazon Forest. In our government we were able to reduce deforestation by 20%, lowering considerably gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Now we will fight for zero deforestation of the Amazon.

Brazil and the planet need an Amazon that is alive. A standing tree is worth more than tons of timber extracted illegally by those whose only concern is the easy profit to the detriment of life on Earth.

A clean river is worth more than all gold extracted through the mercury that destroys the fauna and puts human lives at risk. When an indigenous child dies, killed by the greediness of the predators of the environment, a part of humanity dies with her.

That is why we will re-establish the monitoring and surveillance of the Amazon and combat all and any illegal activities, be it prospecting, mining, logging or farming. At the same time, we will promote the sustainable development of the communities who live in the Amazon region. We will prove yet again that it is possible to generate wealth without destroying the environment. We are open for international cooperation to preserve the Amazon, be it through investments or through scientific research, but always under Brazil’s leadership and without ever renouncing our sovereignty.

We have a commitment to the indigenous people, the people of the Forest and biodiversity. We want environmental peace. We are not interested in an environmental war, but we are ready to defend it from any threat.

Dear friends, the new Brazil that we will build from 1st January is not just for the Brazilian people, but for all people who work for peace, solidarity and fraternity in any part of the world. Last Wednesday, Pope Francis sent and important message to the country, praying that the Brazilian people freed themselves from hatred, intolerance and violence. I want to say that we wish the same and we will work relentlessly for a Brazil where love overcomes hatred, the truth overcomes lies and hope is greater than fear.

Each day of my life, I am reminded of the greatest teaching from Jesus Christ: Love thy neighbour. That is why I believe that the most important virtue of a good leader will always be your love for your country and your people. Where it depends on us, there will be no lack of love for this country. We shall take good care of Brazil and its people. We shall live another time of peace, love and hope. A period when the Brazilian people shall have again the right to dream and the opportunities to realise their dreams. ?

For that I invite each Brazilian man and woman, independently of which candidate they voted for at this election, more than ever before, to go forward together throughout the country focusing more on the things that unite us, than on our differences.

I know the magnitude of the mission that history has dealt me. But I also know that I cannot achieve that by myself. I will need all political parties, workers, businesses, parliamentarians, governors, mayors, people of all religions, Brazilian men and women who dream about a Brazil that is more developed, fairer and more fraternal.

I repeat what I’ve said throughout the campaign, which was never a mere candidate promise but a profession of faith, a life commitment. Brazil can be fixed. Together, we will all be able to fix this country and build a Brazil the size of our dreams with opportunities to turn them into reality.

Once again, I renew my eternal gratitude to the Brazilian people. I want to say thanks to comrade Alckmin my vice-president who has given an extraordinary contribution; to the governors who were elected and to those comrades who did not manage to be elected. Our struggle does not start and does not finish with election. Our struggle for a fair country, where all Brazilians are able to feed themselves, work, study, access culture and leisure, will be a struggle until the end of our lives.

I do not tire of saying, it’s not how old a person is that ages them. What ages them is the lack of a cause, the lack of motivation to fight. That’s why I am determined. Brazil is my cause; the people is my cause, and to combat misery is the reason why I will live until the end of my days.

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Translated by Graciano D.S. Soares