Lula asks for votes for Jaques Wagner amid Banco Master crisis, calls ally 'leader of the government'

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appeared at a party convention in Bahia on Saturday to endorse Senator Jaques Wagner, who is running for re-election. The event occurred amidst a challenging period for Wagner, who faces scrutiny over his alleged connections to the Banco Master, an institution under investigation.

During the convention, Lula mistakenly referred to Wagner as the leader of his government in the Senate, a role Wagner relinquished over a month ago after becoming a target of the Federal Police. Wagner has consistently denied any irregularities.

Lula also called for votes for Rui Costa, a former Chief of Staff and another PT candidate for the Senate. He praised Costa as an "extraordinary governor" and "leader of the government in the Senate." The president's speech, lasting just over 30 minutes, notably omitted any mention of the ongoing Federal Police investigation, which has reportedly identified at least 74 phone calls between Wagner and businessman Augusto Ferreira Lima over 18 months. He also did not address a recent Supreme Court decision to open a new inquiry into his son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, for alleged influence peddling.

Wagner, in turn, expressed his support for Lula's re-election, calling it "fundamental" for a world facing conflict and emphasizing a platform of democracy and national sovereignty. The event, which officially launched Jerônimo Rodrigues's re-election bid for Governor of Bahia, experienced a nearly two-hour delay, attributed to traffic congestion around the venue. While awaiting Lula's arrival, screens displayed campaign jingles, including one referencing Lula's return to power after imprisonment, stating he "returned from the ashes."