Milei calls Lula a ‘leftist thief’ ahead of Brazil’s presidential runoff
Argentina’s president accused Brazil’s president of a dirty campaign and raised the prospect of election theft, as polls showed a close race with Flávio Bolsonaro.
Argentine President Javier Milei called Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a ‘leftist thief’ on October 20 and accused him of a dirty campaign ahead of Brazil’s October 25 presidential runoff, MercoPress reported. Milei said he hoped Lula would not try to steal the vote against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, whom Milei has publicly backed. The suggestion of election theft was Milei’s allegation.
What Milei said about Lula
In an X post quoted by MercoPress, Milei wrote: ‘I hope his latest dirty campaign trick doesn’t include stealing the election.’ He also called Lula a ‘leftist thief.’ According to the report, Milei attached a television interview clip in which Lula defended a shorter working week. Brazil’s government had not commented on the new message when MercoPress published its report.
The attack follows earlier clashes between the two presidents. MercoPress reported that Milei called Lula a ‘thief’ in an October 7 Instagram post. Citing the EFE news agency, it said Milei’s similar remarks in July prompted Brazil to recall its ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultations. Brazil is Argentina’s main trading partner, and the two countries are Mercosur’s largest economies, giving their dispute a wider diplomatic context.
Brazil’s runoff is close in the polls
The election is scheduled for October 25. Deutsche Welle reported that PoderData projected 50% support for each candidate, while three polls from the preceding week showed a narrow Bolsonaro lead. Bolsonaro won 47% in the October 4 first round, according to DW. The candidates held their first live television debate on the Sunday before the report and were due to debate again on Friday, October 23.
The ‘thief’ label also touches an established dispute in Brazilian politics. Lula served a prison sentence after a corruption conviction, but Brazil’s Supreme Court overturned his convictions in 2021, restoring his political rights, MercoPress reported. DW described that reversal as enabling his return to power in 2022. The overturned conviction does not substantiate Milei’s allegation about the upcoming vote.
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Sources and context
- Milei calls Lula a “leftist thief” and says he hopes he will not “steal” Brazil’s electionMercoPress (report cites EFE for an earlier diplomatic episode; no EFE byline or direct sourcing credit is shown for the current post)
- As Brazilians prepare to vote for president, Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro tied in pollsDeutsche Welle (article says it was originally written in German; no syndication credit is shown in the retrieved text)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.