国际英语资讯:Brazilian former president sentenced to 9 years and half in prison_时事

国际英语资讯:Brazilian former president sentenced to 9 years and half in prison

At the end of May, the Workers' Party stated that any condemnation of Lula would be an attempt to stop him from running for president in the 2018 elections.

For months now, Lula, who served as Brazilian president from 2003 to 2011, has been the clear favorite among Brazilians to become the next president under all scenarios.

However, as part of the sentence, Moro also banned Lula from running for or occupying any public office for 19 years. This decision will only stand if Lula is found guilty on appeal to a higher court.

The reactions to Lula's sentencing were varied. By 4 p.m., the Brazilian stock exchange had risen by 1.5 percent as markets seemed to be buoyed by the news. Lula and his Workers' Party, while in government, sought to improve salaries, workers' rights and labor regulations.

However, social organizations and labor unions quickly called for a march to gather on Sao Paulo's central Avenida Paulista. Workers' Party President, Gleisi Hoffman, also slammed the decision in a statement, saying that "this is an eminently political decision, without evidence, based only and exclusively on judge Sergio Moro answering to public opinion."

In a live address on social media, Workers' Party Senator Lindbergh Farias called the sentence a scandal and invited supporters to take to the streets.

"We are not living in a normal democratic situation, this is not democracy. This is a state of emergency. Our response must be very strong, we must hold protests in the cities. We will organize events across Brazil, we cannot stay silent faced with this," he vowed.