Yolanda Díaz has shown her complicity with various leaders of Latin America, such as Gustavo Petro, Gabriel Boric, Alberto Fernández or Pepe Mujica. During the inauguration of the president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the vice president has been able to talk and be photographed with each of them. In fact, Petro, the Colombian president, has shared an image of her with her where he has claimed “a progressive Spain.”
The Minister of Labor has defined the day the Brazilian leader took office as “a historic day” in which “hope finally makes its way.” Together with the former president of Uruguay, Pepe Mujica, and the president of Colombia — whom she has described as “great colleagues” —, she has acknowledged seeing Lula’s inauguration with “excitement.”
In addition, he has been seen with the Chilean president, gabriel boricand the Argentine, Alberto Fernandez. “In Latin America, the illusion and commitment to democracy continues to advance,” the member of the Government celebrated. The vice president has published a video in which she appears congratulating the leader of the Workers’ Party after having been officially appointed to occupy the Presidency of Brazil again, after having suffered a strategy of lawfare (court war). “His inauguration is a special moment for all of us who believe in the possibility of building fairer and more inclusive societies,” said Díaz.
The minister has attended the ceremony together with the king Felipe VI and the head of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares. The delegation has met with Lula after his inauguration. While the monarch has limited himself to pointing out that he expects “Brazil to play a very active international role”, Albares added that “Lula has an agenda that is very compatible with that of the Government of Spain”. The minister has indicated that the will of the Government is to strengthen the economic relationship and the fight against the climate crisis of both countries. The three have also visited some citizens of the Spanish community residing in Brasilia (the country’s capital).
Yolanda Díaz’s parallel agenda
However, although Díaz has participated in the inauguration together with the king and Albares, the vice president was already in the country and had met with her counterpart, luiz marinho, which is held by the Brazilian Ministry of Labor. He has spoken with him about “our” labor reform and the transformation agenda for Brazil. She has described Marinho as “an advocate for working people.”
Subsequently, he had a meeting with anielle franco, Minister of Racial Equality of the Government of Lula. “I am convinced that times of transformation are coming to dignify the lives of the black and indigenous population, to build a Brazil for everyone”, she remarked. And she has even spoken with the former president of Greece Alexis Tsipras, with which he has indicated that he shares “the need to build international alliances that put rights at the center”.
It is not the first time that Yolanda Díaz has attended an international event of this magnitude. She was present—in this case, along with Irene Montero— at Gabriel Boric’s inauguration ceremony in March of last year. So, he already revealed his sympathy for how left-wing leaders and formations in Latin America are recovering power in the different countries of the region, despite the reactionary withdrawal promoted by ultra-right forces. The vice president argued the need to “strengthen collaboration and dialogue” between Chile and Spain “to demonstrate that another policy is possible”.
