RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he would be willing to seek another term in 2018 despite a decline in his poll ratings.
Speaking in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday at an event to mark the 36 years of the governing Workers' party, Silva said he would put himself forward as a candidate "if necessary." He would be 72 by the time of the next election, but Silva said he would have "the desire of a 30-year-old to be president of the republic."
Silva also criticized the opposition and the media, accusing them of attacking him "with lies, leaks and accusations of criminality."
The former president is being investigated over alleged concealment of assets relating to upgrades carried out by construction companies on two properties in Sao Paulo state. Silva told the audience that he would be willing to hand over his banking and telephone records to help the inquiry.
Silva left office with high approval ratings at the end of his two-term limit in 2010 and he has repeatedly expressed his willingness to run again. His latest declaration to party members comes as both his own and the government's poll ratings have slid sharply amid a huge corruption scandal at the state-run energy company Petrobras and a severe economic downturn.
An opinion poll published Wednesday said only 11 percent of Brazilians approve of the government of Silva's hand-picked successor, President Dilma Rousseff. The survey also indicated Silva's reputation had been hit, with 70 percent considering him guilty of corruption. The poll by the MDA polling firm, sponsored by the national transport federation, surveyed 2,002 people in person in 25 states Feb. 18-21. It had margin of error of two percentage points. AP
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