(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-25 11:49

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday he was "infuriated" by media accusations that he has deliberately increased public spending in stronghold areas in order boost his party's electoral chances.

"That is something that leaves me infuriated. I mean, the government is not running in any election," said the president in his weekly radio program.

Brazil's municipal elections to select new mayors and councilors will take place in October.

Opposition parties and some newspapers have accused Lula of supporting his party's candidates by increasing the number of Program for the Acceleration of Growth (PAC) projects in their constituencies.

The program, launched in January 2007, earmarked about US$250 billion to be spent through 2010 on housing, education, public health, transportation and energy projects.

Lula said the fact that the scheme was announced by the federal government two years ago proves it is not a political tool for this election.

Lula said the money used in the PAC was not distributed to "local administrations that support the federal government," but was to help the regions which have infrastructure flaws, "especially when it comes to urbanization of favelas and basic sanitation."

"That (the program) is now generating what we wanted it to generate: jobs and better quality of life," he said.