Amid the opening of an investigation against the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) used social media to show solidarity with his colleague.
According to Lula, his act comes “as someone who has already been a victim of all types of political persecution”. “Due legal process cannot be given up, especially when what is at stake is the will of the people democratically expressed through the ballot box,” Lula wrote this Thursday (10).
What is the charge against Petro?
On Tuesday (9), Colombia’s electoral body decided to open an investigation against Petro and his team for financing the 2022 presidential campaign.
The accusation is that the campaign exceeded the electoral spending limit and omitted crucial accounts, including payments to electoral witnesses.
In Colombia, the entity responsible for investigating the President of the Republic is the Accusations Committee of the Chamber of Representatives, which must assess whether or not there are reasons to initiate a formal process in accordance with the CNE’s decision.
In response to the decision, Petro said that “a coup d’état” had begun.
As someone who has been a victim of all types of political persecution, I express my solidarity with the president. Due legal process cannot be given up, especially when what is at stake is the will of the people democratically expressed through the ballot box. I remember…
— Lula (@LulaOficial)
Comparison with Dilma
In his message to Petro, Lula also recalled the impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff (PT), which, in his opinion, was “without legal basis”. Subsequently, for Lula, a period of instability began in Brazil.
“I remember that, in 2016, President Dilma was the victim of an impeachment process without legal basis and this was the beginning of a turbulent and traumatic period in the history of Brazil,” he wrote.
Relationship between presidents
Lula and Petro have become closer in recent months. Both, for example, have to deal with the political situation in Venezuela.
