In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said his country is paying the price for current president Jair Bolsonaro's "incompetence" in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis and that "he is responsible for a part of all these Brazilians who have lost their lives".
Lula also criticised the destruction of the Amazon rainforest during Bolsonaro's term and the invasion of indigenous people's lands. However he argued against internationalising the rainforest: "We can’t accept the internationalisation of the Amazon, because it is part of our territory. And you also can't go with the idea that the Amazon should be transformed into a sanctuary of humanity."
The next presidential election in Brazil is in 2022 and polls show Lula has strengthened his lead over Bolsonaro. However, Lula, who will be 76 by the time of that election, has yet to officially announce his entrance into the race. "When the time to decide comes, if I still have this health and desire, then I will be a candidate", he told FRANCE 24.
