LUIZ Inacio Lula da Silva is “the very symbol of Brazil” and will be elected leader of the country in October whether “free or imprisoned,” according to party colleague and fellow former president Dilma Rousseff.

Speaking at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, she said Lula had become more than an individual. “He is an idea that has converted into the symbol of Brazil, offering opportunities that the people can grow.”

Lula has been held at the federal police headquarters in Curitiba since April 7, having been sentenced to 12 years behind bars over corruption charges that he continues to deny.

Ms Rousseff said that his opponents needed Lula to be in jail because they lack a candidate capable of winning October’s presidential election.

In a May Day letter, Lula urged his supporters to “continue to resist together, because we’re in this just cause for democracy, for the rights of the people.”

Despite his detention, the former president remains ahead in the polls, but Brazilian authorities are likely to challenge his candidacy.