Lula received and decorated in Paris: Hidalgo accused of mixing genres

Not easy, the days of an outgoing mayor. You have to know how to change your cap, alternate between official functions and the infernal pace of the campaign. And above all, avoid mixing genres, at the risk of attracting the wrath of opponents who are always ready to fight.

The arrival in Paris of former Brazilian President Lula on Monday is a case in point. Anne Hidalgo did not miss the opportunity to show herself by his side, whether as mayor of Paris or as candidate for his own succession.

At 6 p.m., Lula was thus elevated to the rank of honorary citizen in the city hall, packed to capacity. At the microphone, the man has multiplied the praises towards the current mayor of Paris, calling her "revolutionary woman". In return, Anne Hidalgo was content to denounce the "political trials" suffered according to her by Lula and her other guest of the day, ex-president Dilma Rousseff.

Imensa alegria de entregar o título de Cidadão Honorário de Paris at @LulaOficial. Paris semper estará ao lado daqueles cujos direitos são desrespeitados. #Lulalivre @dilmabr @Haddad_Fernando pic.twitter.com/1FbCUj5IMs

An hour and a half later, the trio met at the Théâtre du Gymnase. Anne Hidalgo no longer presents herself as mayor. This time, it is the candidate for mayor of Paris who faces the public, defends her record and appears alongside her guest of the day.

"In the worst case, a gender confusion"

The chain of these two events made jump elected representatives of the opposition, in particular those close to the candidate LREM Agnès Buzyn. Former Minister Mounir Mahjoubi is one of the most vindictive: "The subject is not to decorate or not Lula ... We think what we want of him, I am not personally captivated by the character. The problem is the ceremony itself, he denounces. When you are mayor of a municipality, you must be responsible during the election period. And when we have a doubt about the holding of an event, well we do not do it. "

Anger. Lula Citizen of Honor by @Anne_Hidalgo: Event paid for by public money from Parisians (value: + € 30,000) in the middle of the municipal campaign. Bonus: PS visit and campaign meeting with the blessing of @JLMelenchon and @ slegrain75 Who pays? It is an insult! https://t.co/GLVQWHcRVd pic.twitter.com/Rd9uIxTdnW

The deputy of the 19th arrondissement of the capital refuses to speak of illegality, but explains that he does not understand why it was absolutely essential that the ceremony be held less than two weeks before the start of the elections. "What is one mayor outside Paris who organizes such lavish ceremonies so shortly before the elections?" You will not find any. No outgoing mayor takes the slightest risk. At the very least, it is very awkward. In the worst case, it is a gender confusion. "

Expenses have been split

In a letter addressed to the mayor of Paris, several advisers from the opposition questioned the conditions for organizing this event. Starting with its cost. "Did former President Lula come to Paris to receive an award from the City in exchange for participating in one of your campaign meetings? Not to mention the carbon footprint, are the costs incurred for its arrival (transport, hotels, etc.) covered by the Paris community or charged to your campaign account? », One can read.

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Contacted, the campaign team of the outgoing mayor said that every precaution was taken to avoid any conflict of interest. “The costs incurred for the decorative ceremony, such as the buffet, were entirely covered by the municipality, we are told. Conversely, those relating to the meeting, the rental of the room or the rental of equipment were charged to the campaign account. Lula and Dilma Rousseff came to France and housed themselves on their own, as is generally the case during the distinctive ceremonies. The invoice for the rental of the Gymnasium Theater, published below, has been sent to the campaign team.

The rental of the Gymnasium Theater for the campaign meeting in the presence of Lula was taken care of by the campaign team / DR

The mayor of Paris, to defend itself from any conflict of interest, also insists that separate invitation cards have been sent. The award ceremony had been voted at the Paris Council on October 3, 2019. Simply, Lula was then imprisoned in Brazil, serving his sentence of eight years and ten months in prison for corruption. He had finally been released on November 8, the Brazilian Supreme Court having declared unconstitutional a jurisprudence according to which a person can be imprisoned before the exhaustion of all his remedies, as soon as his conviction was confirmed on appeal. Lula nevertheless remains under the blow of a return to prison.

Could the ceremony be held on another day? Lula and Dilma Rousseff saw many other personalities on the left during their stay in the capital. Sunday evening, after landing around 7 p.m., they took a pose alongside the Insubmissive Jean-Luc Mélenchon or Éric Coquerel. The next day, due to coronavirus, the Brazilian duo stood shoulder to shoulder with Olivier Faure so as not to shake the hand of the first secretary of the Socialist Party and to show good practices. He also showed up with former President Hollande. The two men had lunch together. According to our information, Bernard Cazeneuve was also there.

However, in the PS as in the entourage of François Hollande, it is confirmed that the meetings were obtained after knowing that the two former Brazilian heads of state were passing through Paris. This does not settle the question of the timing chosen by the mayor of Paris.