Gozi: "Let Brazilians decide"
"O Brasil é dos brasileiros." With these words, Sandro Gozi, Secretary General of the European Democratic Party (EDP) and Member of the European Parliament, opens a video message released on 29 September 2026, less than a week before the first round of Brazil's general election on 4 October.
"Brazil is not anyone's backyard. And Brazilian democracy is not for sale," Gozi says.
Pressure from outside
Gozi describes a troubling pattern that goes beyond Brazil: "political pressure from Donald Trump's administration, economic pressure through tariffs, and an entire MAGA ecosystem increasingly inserting itself into the democratic life of other countries."
He recalls that California Governor Gavin Newsom called the 50% US tariff on Brazilian goods a "Bolsonaro tariff", and warned that, if he were Brazilian, he would be very concerned about possible US interference. "And he has good reasons to be concerned," Gozi adds.
Brazilian institutions have themselves warned about the risk of foreign interference. Gozi points to political pressure from Washington, an aggressive MAGA network openly taking sides, and Argentine President Javier Milei "choosing to insert himself directly into Brazil's electoral debate."
Democracy means sovereignty
For the European Democrats, the issue is not partisan. "This is not about defending Lula. And it is not about supporting one Brazilian candidate against another," Gozi says. "It is about something much more fundamental: the right of Brazilians to decide their own future."
"Not Donald Trump. Not the MAGA network. Not Javier Milei. Not any foreign government."
Gozi recalls a principle Europeans know well: "Democracy also means sovereignty. No democracy is truly free if foreign powers try to influence its political choices through economic pressure, political intimidation or coordinated campaigns."
A message beyond Brazil
The message links Brazil to a broader fight that the EDP has made central to its agenda: protecting democracies against disinformation, economic coercion and outside interference, whether in Europe or elsewhere.
"We European Democrats stand with the sovereignty of democratic nations, in Brazil and everywhere else," Gozi concludes. "Respect Brazil. Respect its democracy. And let Brazilians decide."
