In brief
Former labour activist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sailed from a humble background to a fourth presidential term, defying a 2017 conviction and a 2021 annulment that cleared his name. His first tenure (2003‑2010) saw sweeping social programmes that lifted millions out of poverty. In 2022 he returned to power in a shock victory over Jair Bolsonaro. Today he faces a divided parliament, new trade tariffs from the U.S., and scrutiny over Amazon deforestation while maintaining ties with China and Russia through the BRICS bloc.
Born into poverty in the 1940s, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rose from a metal‑worker to the head of Brazil’s largest labour union the day after the country’s first democratic elections in 1975. His early leadership, noted for turning a largely government‑friendly union into a force for workers’ rights, paved the way for his founding role in the Workers’ Party (PT) in 1980.
In 2002, after three lost campaigns, Lula captured the presidency – becoming Brazil’s first left‑wing leader in 48 years. He introduced the Bolsa Família family‑grant programme and lifted minimum wages above inflation, uplifting 44 million Brazilians and spurring the nation’s longest economic expansion of the past three decades.
The 2016 corruption scandal, Operation Car Wash, saw Lula convicted in 2017 for allegedly accepting a bribe in a beach house. He served eighteen months in prison before a 2019 Supreme Court ruling deemed the imprisonment unlawful and a 2021 appeals court annulled the convictions. In 2022, those legal setbacks vanished from the political ledger as he out‑topped Jair Bolsonaro in a run‑off to win a fourth term.
The new tenure faces a sharply divided legislature and new U.S. tariffs that cut into Brazil’s agricultural exports. Lula has pledged to continue fiscal stewardship while promising to eventually phase out fossil fuels. Environmentalists critique his support for Amazon offshore oil exploration, though satellite data show a historic drop in deforestation for the first half of 2026.
Internationally, Lula’s relationship with Donald Trump evolved from hostility – including a 50 % tariff on Brazilian goods – to brief moments of cordiality after a 2025 White House meeting. Trump labelled him “dynamic”, whereas Lula stressed Brazil’s independence from U.S. dictates.
Beyond the United States, Lula has fostered ties with China and Russia, advocating the BRICS alliance as a counterweight to Western dominance. Despite Russia’s war in Ukraine, he has maintained Russian oil imports, arguing strategic balancing is essential for Brazil’s energy security.
With seventy‑one approaching, Lula’s prospects are uncertain. His early‑career triumphs still resonate with Brazil’s working class, yet political factions and global markets test his stewardship. How he balances growth, social welfare, and environmental stewardship will shape Brazil’s path forward in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.
