Our only plan is Lula as candidate and president, says faction within the PT (Workers' Party).

247 - The PT's (Workers' Party) left-wing faction, Articulação de Esquerda (Left Articulation), issued a statement suggesting that the party will go to any lengths to ensure that former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is a candidate for the presidency. "Our only plan is Lula free, Lula a candidate, and Lula president!", it said.

According to this view, former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad, the former president's running mate, or Manuela D'Ávila (PC do B), should Lula not run for president, will assist "in the fight against the coup, for the repeal of the coup measures, for an emergency program that guarantees jobs and social policies, for the convening of a National Constituent Assembly, and for Brazil to be happy again."

Read the full note:

The National Meeting of the Workers' Party, held on August 4th, acclaimed Lula as its candidate for President of the Republic.

The PT's National Meeting delegated to the National Executive Committee the decision on who would be Lula's vice-presidential candidate.

The decision was made under pressure from deadlines imposed by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), which prevented the selection from being made within the timeframe we intended, that is, by August 15th.

CEN debated the issue on August 5th, choosing former mayor Fernando Haddad as its vice-presidential candidate.

The other alternatives were former governor Jaques Wagner, Lula's preferred candidate, who declined the task; the president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffmann, whose name, among those considered by Lula, was preferred by the PT's Left Articulation faction; and Manuela Davila, from the PCdoB.

The discussion held by the PT's National Executive Committee (a detailed report will be sent later) was based on a letter sent by comrade Lula, in which he highlighted the priority of the coalition with the PCdoB, listed his preferences for vice-president, and reaffirmed that he will be the candidate for president of the Republic.

The PT's National Executive Committee decided to propose to
The PCdoB has reached an agreement according to which this party will nominate the vice-presidential candidate in the future. Until this moment, Fernando Haddad will be the vice-presidential candidate.

Some media outlets interpret this agreement as a sign that the PT (Workers' Party) does not believe Lula will be a candidate until the end and that the nomination of the vice-presidential candidate would in fact be an adherence to plan B.

The Workers' Party faction, Articulação de Esquerda, aligned with what is stated in the letter sent by President Lula, reaffirms: the vice-president is Lula's vice-president, therefore an assistant to Lula in the fight against the coup, for the repeal of the coup measures, for an emergency program that guarantees jobs and social policies, for the convocation of a National Constituent Assembly, and for Brazil to be happy again.

Our only plan is Lula free, Lula a candidate, and Lula president!

National Directorate of the Workers' Party's Leftist faction, Articulação de Esquerda (Leftist Articulation).