Lula keeps Bolsonaro in speech and demands work until 2026 – 07/03/2023 – Power

President Lula (PT) once again alluded to former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), this time demanding speed for the completion of the Oeste-Leste Railway. The declaration took place this Monday (3) during the launch of the railway work in Ilhéus, in the interior of Bahia.

Lula’s quotes of Bolsonaro have been routine in his speeches and interviews since he assumed his third term in the Presidency.

“Stop saying you’re going to deliver [a ferrovia] in 2027, you have to deliver before December 31, 2026. Work a little overtime, work on the weekend if necessary, so that we can open soon, otherwise we run the risk of something else it’s bad to come back to this country and she’s stuck again,” said Lula, without explicitly mentioning Bolsonaro.

Lula’s statement came less than a week after the former president was considered ineligible by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) until 2030 after being convicted of abuse of power by spreading lies about electronic voting machines and the Brazilian electoral system at a meeting with ambassadors in 2022.

Lula cited December 31 in reference to the traditional end of presidential term in Brazil. However, starting in 2027, presidential inaugurations will take place on January 5, following a change approved by the National Congress. With that, Lula’s mandate will end on January 4, 2027.

The president participated in the opening ceremony of works on lot 1F of the West-East Integration Railroad (Fiol), in Ilhéus.

According to the government, the railway integration will consolidate a corridor for the flow of ore from the southern region of Bahia and grain from the western region of the state. The expectation is that there will be an 86% reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, when it is ready.

The railway is made up of three sections, the first of which connects the cities of Caetité and Ilhéus in Bahia, covering 537 kilometers in length and passing through 19 municipalities. The forecast for completion and start-up of operations is from 2027.

The lot launched this Monday is one of four for construction on the first section and is 127 km long. The works have an initial investment of R$ 1.5 billion and are expected to last 36 months.

In total, the railway will be approximately 1,527 km long and will connect the future Port of Ilhéus to the municipality of Figueirópolis, in Tocantins, where it will connect with the North-South Railway.

The government informed that it is working towards the concession of the other two stretches of the Oeste-Leste Railway, between Caetité and Barreiras (BA), and another from Barreiras (BA) to Figueirópolis (TO), which is awaiting an installation license.