The country cannot be held hostage by Campos Neto, says Lula.

247 - President Lula once again made strong statements against the actions of the Central Bank president, Roberto Campos Neto, whom the president and members of the government see as a Bolsonaro supporter who is sabotaging the country's economic growth. 

"Now, why does this citizen, who wasn't elected to anything, think he has the power to decide things and even say 'I'll think about how I can help Brazil'? No, you don't have to think about how to help Brazil, you just have to think about how to reduce the interest rate so that this country can have credit again, so that the economy can start working again, that's what you have to do," said Lula, in an interview with journalist Reinaldo Azevedo on BandNews.

The government has been pressuring Campos Neto to reduce the benchmark interest rate, currently at 13,75%. The country has the highest real interest rate in the world, leading to predictions of... stagnationParadoxically, inflation projections are also rising, which has been leading some economists to question the strategy adopted by the Central Bank. 

"And this is not bravado on my part because I have no interest in fighting with the president of the Central Bank. The only thing I think is this: this country cannot be held hostage by a single man," President Lula concluded.