Veja makes no secret of its golden dream: to catch Lula.

In a bland edition, whose cover itself suggests it should be read after Carnival, Veja magazine reveals its political intentions even in the photo captions; "the time is coming," says the text that anchors the image of a Lula supposedly concerned about the progress of the Lava Jato Operation investigations; contractors imprisoned in Curitiba by Judge Sergio Moro are being seduced with the possibility of denouncing Lula in exchange for their freedom; what is at stake, from now on, is the 2018 presidential succession.

February 14, 2015, 21:46 PMUpdated July 05, 2018, 05:37 pm

In a bland edition, whose cover itself suggests it should be read after Carnival, Veja magazine reveals its political intentions even in the photo captions; "the time is coming," says the text that anchors the image of a Lula supposedly concerned about the progress of the Lava Jato Operation investigations; contractors imprisoned in Curitiba by Judge Sergio Moro are being seduced with the possibility of denouncing Lula in exchange for their freedom; what is at stake, from now on, is the 2018 presidential succession (Photo: Leonardo Attuch)

247 - A media outlet that releases a new edition but asks readers to read it after Carnival is already signaling to them that it deals more with politics than with news. That's what Veja does this week, with the cover "To be opened only after Carnival".

Veja engages in politics. Period. And it signals its ill intentions even in the photo captions.

This week, in the Radar column, the message "the time is coming" suggests that something bad may be about to happen to former president Lula. According to the caption, Lula is worried about the unfolding events of Operation Lava Jato.

Editora Abril's golden dream is precisely this: to criminalize the PT (Workers' Party) and make Lula's candidacy for president of the Republic in 2018 unfeasible.

Last week, a Datafolha poll showed him to be the most admired president among Brazilians: the best in history, according to 56% of those interviewed.

The argument that legal campaign donations to the PT were bribes has an obvious political outcome. In the new Petrobras Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, which will be established shortly after Carnival, opposition parliamentarians will try to compare the PT to a money laundering operation.

The goal is to revoke the party's registration and prevent Lula from running for office in 2018.

Before that, perhaps a more spectacular gesture will be attempted. The contractors imprisoned in Curitiba are being harassed with an indecent proposal: freedom in exchange for a plea bargain that incriminates Lula.

The next chapters of this saga promise to be exciting.