Brazil rules out Lula’s presence at a possible inauguration of Maduro

Celso Amorim, an international affairs adviser to the Brazilian government, has ruled out the possibility that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva could attend the inauguration ceremony of Nicolás Maduro if it finally takes place in January.

«As of today, I don’t see Lula going to Maduro’s inauguration.“Amorim said in an interview with the newspaper Economic Valuein which he also ruled out the possibility of a diplomatic rupture following the latest unsuccessful attempts by the Brazilian government to find a solution to the Venezuelan crisis.

“Brazil is not going to break relations with Venezuela. Relations are with the State,” Amorim explained, who avoided referring to Maduro as a dictator.I prefer not to qualify“, he said.

After coming back to power in Brazil, Lula had become President Maduro’s main ally on the international stage. However, the recent episodes in Venezuela have caused the Brazilian president to change his position, as well as that of other allies of Chavismo.

Lula, who believes the Venezuelan government has shown “authoritarian biases,” has avoided recognizing Maduro’s victory, but also that of the opposition. In this regard, he has asked both of them for transparency and proof of their triumph at the polls.