Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Monday that he was convinced, three days after the army chief’s dismissal, that Brazil will return “to normal” and that the armed forces there “will fulfill their role” without “serve a politician” “.
“The armed forces do not serve a politician, they do not exist to serve a politician. They exist to guarantee the sovereignty of the country, mainly against an external enemy, to guarantee the tranquility of the Brazilian people, and things like in case of natural disasters” Lula said at a press conference in Buenos Aires, where he is on an official visit.
“A phenomenon has occurred in Brazil”
Lula spoke for the first time since the dismissal of army chief Julio Cesar de Arruda on Saturday, two weeks after the attacks on power centers in Brasilia. The Defense Minister had mentioned a “break in trust” with the officer, after the events of January 8.
“I had chosen an army chief but it didn’t work out. I had to choose another one,” Lula said Monday, responding to questions about whether confidence had been restored with the appointment of General Tomás Ribero Paiva.
“I had a good talk with him. He thinks exactly the same about the military as I do.”
“A phenomenon occurred in Brazil (…) I don’t know how to explain it, but (former President Jair) Bolsonaro managed to get the majority of all the military forces, the police of each state to the traffic police, part of the military police and the armed forces” support him, added Lula. Bolsonaro “got involved in the armed forces,” he charged.
“We now have a great responsibility: for the country to return to normality and for the military and police forces to return to normality,” he continued, saying he was convinced that “the armed forces will fulfill their role, the executive branch will fulfill its role.” . , the legislature will fulfill its role, and Brazil will be fine”
Source: BFM TV
