Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said during a livestream that he plans to speak directly with the public more regularly. (Foto: Instagram)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he plans to change how he communicates with the public and address people more directly. He made the remarks during a livestream with federal lawmaker André Janones on Thursday, Nov. 12, saying he wanted to establish regular conversations with the public. “From now on, things will be different in the country. We’ll talk every day, every week. I won’t allow people to interpret what I say. I’ll speak directly to you,” Lula said.
The livestream took place between Lula’s scheduled events in Antalya, Turkey, which is hosting the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference. It lasted about 18 minutes, and Lula spoke only briefly because of problems with his voice. The president said he had been hoarse for 15 days and that the condition was taking longer than expected to improve, despite drinking more tea than ever.
Lula said he would speak slowly to avoid straining his voice further. He also mentioned that he still had a meeting with civil society, a planned trip to the Philippines and many speeches to deliver. Because of the hoarseness, he had canceled commitments and skipped a speech he was scheduled to give at the Climate Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Lula also addressed a Federal Court ruling involving the proceeds from the sale of the Guarujá triplex apartment, which was targeted in the Operation Car Wash investigation. The court ordered the money from the sale to be transferred to OAS Empreendimentos. According to an opinion from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the company had demonstrated that it owned the property. Lula said he hoped those who had accused him and claimed for years that the apartment belonged to him would apologize now that the court had ruled it was not his.
