At the weekend, a group of progressive presidents, including Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party), published an article in defense of democracy. The text, published on Sunday (20) in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, talks about confronting authoritarianism and defending institutions and fundamental rights.
In addition to Lula, Presidents Gabriel Boric of Chile, Pedro Sánchez of Spain, Yamandú Orsi of Uruguay and Gustavo Petro of Colombia shared authorship of the article.
The authors state that democracy is facing major challenges worldwide, and the erosion of institutions, the advance of authoritarian discourses and the growing disinterest of citizens “are symptoms of a deep malaise in broad sectors of society.”
In the statement, they point out that the current challenging scenario is compounded by “persistent inequalities, the regression in fundamental rights, the spread of disinformation and hate speech on digital platforms and the expansion of criminal networks that challenge the legitimacy of the state.”
Faced with this challenge, progressive leaders pledge to act “with conviction and responsibility” against those who seek to undermine democracy. “Defending democracy requires us to be able to condemn authoritarian drifts,” reads the statement.
International summit
The article also highlights the call by the five governments for the High-Level Meeting Democracy Always, which is scheduled to take place in Santiago, Chile’s capital, on Monday (21), with the presence of President Lula.
The meeting aims to address issues such as strengthening democratic institutions and multilateral cooperation, reducing social disparities, countering disinformation and regulating new technologies.
It also intends to consolidate a joint position in favor of global collaboration, a counterpoint to the U.S. government’s recent actions that have been seen as a trigger for increased trade conflicts globally.
One of the topics to be discussed is the recent announcement of 50% tariffs on Brazilian products by U.S. President Donald Trump, which Lula described as “unacceptable blackmail.”
The proposals and discussions from this summit will be taken to the next summit, scheduled to take place alongside the United Nations General Assembly in September.
