Lula
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who has served as 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A member of the Workers' Party, he served as the 35th president from 2003 to 2011.
Born in Pernambuco, Lula quit school after second grade to work, and did not learn to read until he was ten years old. As a teenager, he worked as a metalworker and became a trade unionist. Between 1978 and 1980, he led the ABC workers' strikes during Brazil's military dictatorship, and in 1980, he helped start the Workers' Party during Brazil's redemocratization. Described as left-wing, Lula was one of the leaders of the 1984 Diretas Já movement, which demanded direct elections. In 1986, he was elected a federal deputy in the state of São Paulo. He ran for president in 1989, but lost in the second round. He also lost presidential elections in 1994 and 1998. He became president in 2002, in a runoff. In 2006, he was successfully re-elected in the second round.
During his first and second presidencies, that coincided with South America's first pink tide, he continued fiscal policies and promoted social welfare programs such as Bolsa Família that eventually led to GDP growth, reduction in external debt and inflation, and helping millions of Brazilians escape poverty. He also played a role in foreign policy, both on a regional level and as part of global trade and environment negotiations. During those terms, Lula was considered one of the most popular politicians in Brazil's history and left office with 80% approval rating. During his third presidency, Lula faced the 8 January 2023 attacks on federal institutions and pursued several major institutional and economic reforms, including a landmark tax reform and a new fiscal framework. His government also cut income taxes for the middle class and secured a constitutional amendment reducing the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours. The period saw the highest GDP growth in over a decade, along with lower inflation, record-low unemployment and a decline in income inequality. His administration has also prioritized environmental policy, with Amazon deforestation falling to its lowest level in over a decade. It has also renewed international engagement, and led the negotiations that paved the way for the preliminary approval of the Mercosur–European Union trade agreement. His first term was also marked by notable corruption scandals, including the Mensalão vote-buying scandal. After the 2010 Brazilian general election, he was succeeded by his former chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff, and remained active in politics and gave lectures.
After his presidency, Lula remained active in the political scene and began giving lectures in Brazil and abroad. He attempted to run for president in the 2018 Brazilian presidential election, but his candidacy was rejected because he was sentenced to prison in connection with Operation Car Wash, in a controversial trial. In 2019, he was released based on a decision by the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which gradually annulled his convictions. With his political rights restored, he ran for president for the sixth time in the 2022 elections and, by defeating the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the second round, became the first person to defeat a Brazilian president running for reelection and the first to be elected for a third time. At the age of 77, he became the oldest Brazilian president at time of inauguration. Early in his term, there was an attempted coup d'état led by Bolsonaro, which was unsuccessful. In the 2026 general election, by defeating Flávio Bolsonaro, he became the first candidate to upset the result in the second round and, consequently, to be elected president of Brazil for a record-breaking fourth term.
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