Brazilian left-wing parties unite to back ex-president Lula for election

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Five Brazilian left-wing parties announced Wednesday that they were creating a common front to support former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to stand in the October presidential elections.

At a meeting in Brasilia, representatives from the Workers' Party (PT), Labor Party, Brazilian Socialist Party, Socialist and Liberty Party and the Communist Party of Brazil announced the creation of the Broad Front in Defense of Democracy and Sovereignty to support Lula and oppose the reforms proposed by President Michel Temer.

In the opening speech, Senator Roberto Requiao said the front would stand against Lula's judicial sentence, as well as resist the pension reform and the privatization of the electric utilities company, Eletrobras.

PT leader Gleisi Hoffmann said "this is a very important step to build the center-left unity of the progressive forces in the country."

Lula, who is leading the poll about preferred candidates for the October elections, will be barred from running if he loses an appeal against a guilty verdict for corruption and money laundering, which would see him jailed for 12 years and one month. Enditem