Lula says he will run for president in 2022 "if necessary"

(CNN Spanish) –– 

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil, said this Friday that he intends to be a candidate in the 2022 presidential elections "if necessary."

«If I was healthy and if necessary ... I will be there to fight.

But it is not my priority, "said the former president during an interview with the Portuguese media RTP.

In 2020, "when I am a candidate, I will be a year younger than Biden when he ran," added Lula.

However, the left-wing politician insisted that it is necessary to wait until 2022 to assess the political scene before making a formal announcement.

"The only truth I know is that Bolsonaro can no longer govern Brazil," he said in the interview.

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Lula was convicted of corruption and money laundering in 2017, as a result of an extensive investigation into the state oil company Petrobras.

However, those sentences were overturned last month by the judge of the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court, Luiz Edson Fachin.

The ruling effectively restored Lula's right to run for office.

Although, a new trial was ordered in the Supreme Court.

Lula, now 75, has enjoyed immense popularity in Brazil over the years.

In 2002 he was elected as president and remained in power until 2013, when his elected successor, Dilma Rousseff, became the country's first female president.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva