Brazilian President Fined For
Early Campaigning
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva was fined 10,000 real
(in Brazilian Portuguese reais) by the
Superior Electoral Court Friday for early
campaigning in support of the ruling party
candidate in the October presidential
election.
The president has been fined four times for
early campaigning for his party's candidate,
former chief of staff Dilma Rousseff, this
year.
In Brazil, campaigning is restricted to
three months before the election.
Politicians are not allowed to speak as
candidates or campaign for others before
that date.
Lula was fined because he stressed that
Rousseff was his candidate and asked the
audience to vote for her in a speech on
April 10 at the headquarters of the
Metallurgy Workers' Trade Union in Sao
Bernardo do Campo in the state of Sao Paulo.
Rousseff was also fined 5,000 real
The Superior Electoral Court said Lula's
intent to campaign was "explicit" and noted
he had been punished for early campaigning
before.
"The intent to campaign and call the working
class to work in the campaign was evident,"
Electoral Judge Henrique Neves said. |
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