President of the World Game - Official Thread

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Name of candidate: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Party: Socialist Party
Other info: President of Brazil (2003-2011), trade unionist, founding member of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT).

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Lula travels to China where he gives his first major speech:

"I'm Lula. I was born into poverty, I received only a skills diploma in machinery and only a grade 4 level education, I sold trinkets and food on the streets to make money for my family, I struggled for the rights of workers and everyday folks while in trade unions in the context of a dictatorship which was dominated by the interests of the reactionary elite. I know what poverty is like, because I grew up in poverty. I know what fighting for values is like, because I fought for the rights of my colleagues in tough times and got sent to jail. I know what lacking quality healthcare is like, because I lost my first wife during her pregnancy. I fought for my country, for the progress and wealth of my nation.

When I became President of Brazil in 2002, the economy wasn't doing too well and most importantly poverty was a major issue and the everyday folks in Brazil hadn't seen the so-called worth of the elite's liberal policies. Now, in 2010, poverty and crime has fallen drastically in Brazil thanks to our government's social programs which have worked beyond anybody's wildest expectations. Brazil is now an aspiring world power and a country which is respected around the world. In the midst of the financial crisis, Brazil moved out of recession quicker than any other country in the world and we are now posting a tremendous 9% GDP growth rate for 2010. And this tremendous recovery, actually, beyond recovery, a tremendous boom, didn't come at the expense of our social programs or our people. Our work has proven to the world that a strong social welfare state of popular progress is NOT incompatible with a market economy of the twenty-first century.

I'm Lula, and I, unlike any other politician, know what poverty is like and what it is to live in shantytowns and that's why I'm fighting for a fairer and better future for all the people of the world. Thank you very much, thank you."

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Lula flies to central and southern China, visiting communities in poverty and areas where people are struggling for more rights. He stresses his record in cutting poverty in Brazil and winning better rights for workers and rural farmers. "Don't let them tell you it can't be done, don't let them tell you they'll fight for you; trust the team with the real proven record of cutting poverty from over 30% to less than 10%. That team is my team"