Lulism

Not to be confused with lullism.

Ali Khamenei, Supreme leader of Iran, talking with former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Lulism (Portuguese: lulismo) is a political ideology used to describe the consolidation of segments of the society that were previously hostile to the Brazilian Workers' Party and social movements, behind the political forces led by former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a new electoral configuration formed in 2006. It is a process of controlled reformism and limited structural change in Brazil which focused on the poorest sections of society. The subproletariat, who has always kept themselves away from Lula, accepted his candidacy after his first term as president, at the same time that the middle‑class detracted from him. The explanation would be on a new ideological configuration that mixes leftwing and rightwing elements. The rhetoric and the praxis, which were able to unite the maintenance of stability and the distributive action of the state, are the origins of the formation of Lulism. Although essentially different, it shares some characteristics with Chavism and Kirchnerism.

To build political consensus and secure social peace, Lulism has chosen to form a pragmatic coalition of interests among various segments of Brazilian society, instead of pursuing an ideology-driven agenda. It means that gradual reformism was favored over a direct confrontation with the interests of the elite. In particular, Brazilian manufacturers, banks and retailers were among the direct beneficiaries of the consumption-led, credit-fueled economic model championed by the government. Andre Singer said that "the convergence of interests of the private industry sector on one side, and of the organized labor force on the other, led to the stability that allowed this political system to take the form of a sort of consensus". It was this equilibrium that allowed the government to gradually make the most significant changes in policy. Non-confrontation principles are, in the Lulism movement, a "sine qua non" condition for development.

Evolution

The term "Lulism" was coined by André Singer, who was also Lula's press secretary (from 2003 to 2005) and spokesperson in the presidency (from 2002 to 2007).

Born during the 2002 presidential campaign, Lulism represented the departure from the important components of the program of left-wing politics adopted by Workers Party until late 2001 and abandonment of the ideas of organization and mobilization. As Lulism is a model of change within order, even with an enforcement of it, it is not and cannot be a mobilizer. This means that the conflict does not have a political, partisan, electoral or institutional expression.

In 2009, an article written for the Instituto Millenium claimed that "liberals are cornered" after "more than six years of Lulism". Carlos de Andrade took up that vision:

According to her, the term "liberal" is mistranslated in Brazil as "rightist" or "supportive of military dictatorships." In the war for public opinion, the so-called left always got the better, Singer says.

So the Lulism sought a reconciliation path, from Lula's charisma, with large Brazilian conservative sectors. And it is under the sign of contradiction that the Lulism is constituted as a great conservative social pact which combines the maintenance of economic policy of the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002) with strong distributive policies under Lula's government (2002-2010).

Conducted under the auspices of the conciliation, the Lulism represents an "appeasement of social conflicts, of which the bourgeoisie has always too afraid, especially in a country of great inequality as is the case of Brazil" because it envisions a "reduction agenda poverty and inequality, but under the aegis of a weak reformism ". This social change model is explained as a "conservative variant of modernization," in which the state has a "prominent role in leveraging the poorest" at the same time ensuring that the Brazilian social structural problems will not be touched, that is, without conflict with conservative sectors of rural and urban elites linked to financial interests.

For these characteristics, the Lulism "concocted new ideological, under union banners that seemed to combine" (continuity of the Lula government with the Cardoso government in macroeconomic policy based on three pillars: inflation targeting, floating exchange rate and primary surplus in the accounts public).

Another feature that differentiates Lulism as a genuine political movement that represents a political thought is the fact that the Lulism has not been partisan. On the contrary, the Lulism overlaps the political parties, including the own Workers Party, founded by Lula. Finally, although it was anchored in Lula's charisma, Lulism differs from other movements around political leaders as Peronism in Argentina, because it does not formed a cult of personality based on the then Brazilian president for political and popular forces.

Influences

Several politicians in Latin America cited Lulism as a political model, when given the names "Brasília Consensus" (as opposed to the Washington Consensus) and "Brazilian model". This is the case of Ollanta Humala, José Mujica, Mauricio Funes, Fernando Lugo and the opposition Henrique Capriles. Or, combine this model with Chavismo, such as Kirchner of Argentina and Paraguay to the dismissal of Fernando Lugo.