The President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, traveled to the city of Sao Paulo, in southeastern Brazil, on Monday to congratulate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in person on his narrow victory in Sunday’s elections over Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Fernández will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Santiago Cafiero; the Secretary General of the Presidency and the spokesperson, Julio Vitobello and Gabriela Cerruti, respectively; as well as other officials and deputies, reports the Argentine newspaper ‘Clarín’.
In declarations prior to his departure to the neighboring country, Fernandez praised Lula as «a leader as never seen before» and showed his conviction that the new president of Brazil has the capacity to «unite the continent again».
«I have met him many times, in office and as a colleague. He has an enormous peculiarity which is an authentic leadership, and he arrives at a time when the region has undergone many changes. Lula’s arrival can help to unite the continent again», said Fernandez in declarations to Radio Perfil.
Already on Sunday, when the electoral count was advancing and Lula’s victory became irreversible, the Argentinean president already acknowledged feeling «very happy» for the return of his colleague not only to the Presidency of the neighboring country, but also to be once again a prominent figure in the continent.
Fernández considers that Lula’s victory will lead to a «deeper and more realistic and sincere» dialogue between both South American countries. «Your victory opens a new time for history in Latin America. A time of hope and future that begins today,» he said.
Lula claimed victory after winning 50.9 percent of the vote, while Bolsonaro got 49.1 percent at the end of a nail-biting recount in which both contenders were neck-and-neck. In fact, Bolsonaro has yet to concede defeat.
