Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has backed out of attending Wednesday’s presidential inauguration in Chile Photo by Andre Borges/EPA
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not attend Wednesday’s presidential inauguration in Chile despite having previously confirmed his participation, according to Brazilian media reports citing sources at the presidential palace.
Government teams already have arrived in Chile ahead of the ceremony. However, the confirmed presence of Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a political rival and son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, reportedly influenced Lula’s decision, CNN Brasil reported.
Lula had been invited personally by Chile’s president-elect, conservative leader José Antonio Kast, during a meeting in Panama in January. At the time, Lula indicated he would attend. A bilateral meeting in the Chilean port city of Valparaíso, home to the country’s Congress, also had been scheduled before the official ceremony.
On Tuesday morning, Brazil’s Secretariat of Social Communication confirmed the cancellation after Lula met with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, who will represent Brazil at the inauguration, newspaper O Globo reported.
The decision comes days after Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party, known in Brazil as PL, confirmed he would attend the ceremony. Bolsonaro, who is seeking his party’s nomination for Brazil’s October presidential election, said Sunday that he had been invited by Kast’s team.
According to Brazilian media, sources at the Planalto presidential palace said “there was a risk that uncomfortable situations could arise,” which contributed to the cancellation.
Considered the strongest contenders within their respective political camps for the Oct. 4 presidential election, Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro appear to almost tied in a potential runoff, according to a Datafolha poll published Saturday by Folha de S.Paulo.
The survey showed Lula with 46% support compared with 43% for Bolsonaro, within a margin of error of two percentage points.
Bolsonaro’s allies in Brazil welcomed Kast’s victory in Chile’s election. Kast campaigned on a hardline stance against irregular immigration and crime, and has been cited by Brazilian conservative leaders as part of a broader movement to strengthen right-leaning leadership in the region. Argentine President Javier Milei is one advocate.
Several leaders aligned with that movement attended the “Shield of the Americas” summit hosted by President Donald Trump on Saturday near Miami.
Trump said at the meeting with 12 Latin American leaders in Doral that “America’s Counter Cartel Coalition” will conduct operations against cartels across the region. At least 17 nations have signed onto the agreement.
