President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday he had good news for Brazilians, as the economy began a strong growth cycle after its worst performance in more than a decade last year.
Speaking in his second televised address of the year, the former metal worker said Brazilian growth was surprisingly strong and that Latin America's largest economy created 1 million new jobs in the last six months.
"Today, after a bit more than a year and a half in government, with lots of work and sacrifice, I have good news for you," he said. "There is no longer any doubt. We are finally starting a new and important cycle of recovery and growth."
In the past two months, economic indicators have shown a sharp gain in activity, with consumer demand and retail sales rising and unemployment falling.
An opinion poll released this week showed that the popularity of da Silva's government rose for the first time in a year this month as a result of the improving economic outlook.
The economy contracted by 0.2 percent last year, da Silva's first year in power, sparking deep frustrations with the center-left government, which had promised a "growth show" and millions of jobs. This year the economy is seen growing four percent.
Da Silva, whose Workers' Party faces local elections in October, said there were challenges ahead.
"We already suffered too much from magical plans that promised to resolve all of Brazil's problems in an hour," he said. "We have a great challenge and lots of work ahead: improve the country's infrastructure, improve education and income distribution."
RSS