President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said again on Wednesday that Brazil will not accept interference by the United States in October's presidential election. At a campaign rally for his reelection bid in Teresina, in the northeastern state of Piauí, he added that he hopes "the electoral court does not come up with any falcatrua", a Portuguese slang word for a rigged trick. Both G1 and Metrópoles reported that he did not make clear whether he meant the Superior Electoral Court, or TSE, the tribunal that runs Brazil's elections.
"We want to prove that Brazilians owe nothing to anyone. May the Americans not come and try to influence our elections. And may the electoral court not come up with any falcatrua. Because we know what they are capable of, and if they come and meddle here, we will defeat them, we will defeat the Americans and we will defeat anyone who meddles."
The lines came right after Lula mentioned the government of Donald Trump. He said Brazilians "know what they are capable of" and attacked the U.S. president directly. "Trump should stick to his own country. Here it is our problem, a problem for Brazilians, and nobody meddles. They will have to learn a lesson from us. We are poor, but we are proud," he said, according to G1.
According to G1, Lula and Trump spoke by phone for 1 hour and 20 minutes in late August, at the Brazilian president's request. In the call, Trump asked about the October election. Lula has said he told him that Brazil accepts no interference from anyone in its electoral process.
In the same speech, Lula criticized opposition supporters who carry U.S. flags to rallies, Metrópoles reported. "Those who only carry the flag of Brazil and go to a rally carrying an American flag are vira-latas, they are traitors to the homeland, with no commitment whatsoever to this country," he said, using a Portuguese term that implies servility toward foreign powers. On stage with the president were Governor Rafael Fonteles of Piauí, also running for reelection, and first lady Janja, who also spoke.
What comes next
The electoral court has pending decisions in this race. The TSE has yet to rule on a request by Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula's main rival, to strike the ticket of Lula and his running mate Geraldo Alckmin over a parade at Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome. Recent polls show a statistical tie between the two men in the first round and a lead for Flávio Bolsonaro in most runoff scenarios. The first round is scheduled for October.