Lula warns against foreign interference, defends Brazil’s sovereignty at UN

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned against attempts to interfere in Brazil’s upcoming election, using his address to the United Nations General Assembly to deliver a broader defence of the country’s sovereignty amid tensions with the United States.

Speaking in New York on Tuesday, Lula said Brazil would not allow either domestic or foreign actors to undermine the October 4 vote, which will see him seek a fourth non-consecutive term.

“Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians,” Lula said towards the end of his speech. “Brazil will remain a sovereign country.”

The warning followed several apparent references to Brazil’s increasingly strained relationship with the administration of US President Donald Trump, although Lula did not mention Trump by name.

Earlier in the speech, Lula said Latin America was facing a resurgence of “hegemonic ambitions” and foreign interference in elections.

“Brazil does not belong in anyone’s backyard”, he said, adding that attempts to divide the world into spheres of influence were “anachronistic”.

The comments come after Lula accused the Trump administration of trying to influence Brazil’s election through economic pressure. Washington imposed two new rounds of tariffs on Brazilian goods in July, and Lula said last week that he intended to directly tell Trump, an ally of Lula’s main rival Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, not to interfere in the vote. Bolsonaro is the son of former right wing President Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazil has so far held off on retaliating against the US while trade negotiations continue, although Lula said on Monday in an interview with CNN that it could still invoke its reciprocity law if talks fail.

‘The UN is failing’

Beyond Brazil-US relations, Lula delivered a sweeping critique of the international system, telling world leaders that the UN was facing its most critical moment since he first addressed the General Assembly in 2003.

“The feeling that moves me today is indignation,” Lula said, arguing that the UN was failing to prevent war and that its credibility had “never been so low”.

He blamed much of that paralysis on the UN Security Council and its veto-wielding powers, calling for its leaders to meet as the number of armed conflicts rises globally.

Lula also used the speech to warn of renewed “hegemonic ambitions” and foreign interference in elections across Latin America, arguing that ideological differences should not prevent greater regional integration.

He also said Brazil would not outsource responsibility for defending its borders and confronting organised crime, calling instead for greater international cooperation to disrupt the flow of weapons and illicit money.

“We do not need aircraft carriers watching our waters,” Lula said. “We need cooperation to stop the flow of weapons and money that fuels crime.”

The comments came as Trump was expected to use his own UN address on Tuesday to assert US power in the region. Excerpts of his speech released by the White House included statements that Washington would use its “unmatched military might” if necessary to protect US interests in the Western Hemisphere.