Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he has good relations with both Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro, the two candidates in the second round of Sunday’s Brazilian presidential election.
Asked Thursday what Russia’s position was on the Brazilian elections and the likelihood of Lula returning to power, Putin said: “We have good relations with Mr. Lula and we have good relations with Mr. Bolsonaro.”
“We do not interfere in internal political processes, this is the most important thing,” Putin added. “We consider Brazil to be our most important partner in Latin America, and it is, and we will do everything possible to develop these relationships in the future.”
Lula, who was already president from 2003 to 2011, won the first round of the elections on October 2 among 11 candidates with 48.43% of the valid votes compared to 43.20% for Bolsonaro.
Looking ahead to the second round, the polls show that Lula has an advantage over Bolsonaro.