Carnival tribute to Brazil's Lula in Rio sparks political backlash

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO: When Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva learned that a samba school in Rio de Janeiro would base its carnival parade this year on his journey from factory worker to president, he broke into tears and then smiled for pictures holding the school's flag.

But, as Rio's world famous carnival parade approached, the tribute became a political headache.

Opposition parties and politicians have filed a flurry of lawsuits alleging that Lula is benefiting from what they describe as an illegal form of early campaigning ahead of this year's presidential election. The president hopes to be elected for his fourth nonconsecutive term in October.

Courts have already rejected all but one of the lawsuits, including one that asked judges to stop the parade from taking place. But more could be filed if critics believe politicians used the event, scheduled to happen on Sunday night, to ask for votes, which would be illegal.

Still, Lula is planning to watch the samba school Academicos de Niteroi sing and dance to his and his mother's life stories on Sunday in Rio, his aides told Reuters, but he won't be speaking at any moment. The president's wife, Rosangela "Janja" da Silva, plans to take part in the parade are under review, people familiar with the government's thinking told Reuters.

"It's not campaigning," said Tiago Martins, a carnival parade designer at Academicos de Niteroi. "It's a plot that tells the life story of a man who, despite all obstacles, got to the presidency."

Critics disagree, pointing, for example, to mentions of the number 13 in the song's lyrics, the same one that Lula and his Workers Party use on the ballot box.

"This is the kind of thing you see in a Soviet republic, in North Korea, an ode to the great leader," said lawmaker Marcel Van Hattem, a leader of the opposition Novo Party, which filed one of the lawsuits against Lula.

The parade designed by Academicos de Niteroi describes the president's childhood in the country's impoverished Northeastern region and his mother's journey to Sao Paulo with her children in search of a better life.

"I saw myself in my children's eyes, frightened and empty. With my heart in pieces, I set out in search of love and of my dreams," the lyrics say.

Artists at Academia de Niteroi sought the president's authorisation to use his life's story last year, before going forward with their plan. After they received it, Lula welcomed Martins and other members of the samba school for a dinner at his Alvorada presidential residence in September.

As they sang the song they had written for the parade, Lula became emotional and cried, people who were in the meeting told Reuters. He later described it as a tribute to his mother, Dona Lindu, rather than to himself.

Lula's aides acknowledged the political sensitivity of the moment to Reuters. After the lawsuits multiplied, the president's team consulted legal advisers to clarify what restrictions apply during the pre campaign period.

Ministers attending the parade were instructed to remain seated in the audience, refrain from participating in the parade itself, avoid public funds for travel, and not make any election related gestures, statements, or live posts on social media. Lula will not speak publicly at the parade.

Opposition figures argue the precautions show the government knows the tribute crosses legal lines.

They complain that Academicos de Niteroi received hundreds of thousands of dollars of public funds to do the parade.