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Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President since 2023 (also 2003–10)· Leader
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Brazil's left-wing president, a former union leader serving a third term and seeking a fourth in October 2026.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
Born in 1945 to a poor family in Pernambuco, Lula became a metalworkers' union leader, co-founded the Workers' Party (PT) in 1980 and was president in 2003–10, when a commodity boom and the Bolsa Família cash-transfer program cut poverty. Convicted of corruption in 2017, he spent 580 days in prison in 2018–19; in 2021 the Supreme Court annulled the convictions on procedural grounds. He narrowly beat Jair Bolsonaro in 2022. His third term stresses social spending, curbing Amazon deforestation and nonalignment.
Why it matters
He is a leading Global South voice in BRICS and the G20, balancing ties with China and the US while defending Brazil against Trump's 2025 tariffs.
Record
Electoral court (TSE) results, court records, government satellite data showing Amazon deforestation down by about half since 2022, and decades of reporting. His legacy divides along partisan lines.
What to watch
Supporters see a poverty fighter wrongly prosecuted; critics see a party mired in corruption scandals. At 80, whether he can win and serve another full term.
Connections (2)
▸Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva leads BrazilFact
The relationship
Lula, back in office since January 1, 2023, sets Brazil's economic and foreign policy: expanded welfare, an income-tax exemption for lower earners, a fiscal framework limiting spending growth, Amazon protection, and a nonaligned stance balancing China, the US and BRICS.
Since when and why
Brasília; he beat Jair Bolsonaro 50.9% to 49.1% in the October 30, 2022 runoff, the closest in Brazil's modern history.
How we know
Superior Electoral Court (TSE) results and laws passed by Congress, such as the 2023 fiscal framework and the 2025 income-tax reform.
What to watch
Whether his spending lifts growth or feeds deficits and high rates is debated; a Congress dominated by center-right parties limits what he can do.
▸Brazil's 2026 presidential election will decide whether to re-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaOutlook
The relationship
The runoff decides whether Lula, already the only person elected Brazil's president three times, wins an unprecedented fourth term, which would end in early 2031 when he is 85, or hands power to the Bolsonaro movement he defeated in 2022.
Since when and why
Runoff October 25, 2026, after the October 4 first round; Lula faces Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party.
How solid?
Outlook: the result is unknown until the TSE counts the runoff votes; polls by firms such as Datafolha and Quaest suggest but do not settle it.
What to watch
How much his age and health weigh on voters, and who would lead Brazil's left after him, are open questions.