Who Is Lula? Brazil’s President Chasing a Fourth Term at 80

He is the most consequential Brazilian politician of the democratic era — and on October 4, at nearly 81, he asks voters for one more mandate. For foreign readers watching the election of Latin America’s largest country: this is who Lula is, how he went from a factory floor to the presidency, through prison and back, and what is at stake in his fourth bid.

From the factory floor to the union hall

Lula was born into poverty in Brazil’s arid northeast and migrated with his family to São Paulo as a child. He worked from age twelve, trained as a lathe operator, and lost the little finger of his left hand in a press accident at nineteen — the injury that became part of his political iconography. In the late 1970s he led the metalworkers’ strikes that defied the military dictatorship, and in 1980 he co-founded the Workers’ Party, the PT, the vehicle that would carry him through three losing campaigns (1989, 1994, 1998) before he finally won the presidency in 2002.

The two terms that built the myth

From 2003 to 2010 Brazil rode a commodity boom, and Lula rode it better than anyone: Bolsa Família cash transfers reached tens of millions, the minimum wage rose in real terms, universities opened to the poor, and Brazil paid off the IMF. He left office with approval above 80 percent — a number no Brazilian president has touched since — and enough political capital to elect his chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff.

Prison, annulment, comeback

The fall was as steep as the rise. In the Lava Jato (“Car Wash”) investigation, judge Sérgio Moro convicted Lula in 2017 of receiving a beachfront apartment as a bribe; he entered prison in April 2018 and spent 580 days behind bars, barred from the 2018 election his poll numbers said he would have won. In 2021 the Supreme Court annulled the convictions, ruling Moro had been biased — a procedural annulment, not an acquittal on the merits, a distinction his supporters and opponents both weaponize to this day. His rights restored, Lula ran again in 2022 and beat Jair Bolsonaro 50.9 to 49.1, the narrowest margin since redemocratization.

The third term and the 2026 race

The comeback presidency has been harder than the legend. Growth is modest, approval sits at 45 against 51 percent, and the government has spent its political capital on pocketbook measures — the latest a thirty-day extension of the diesel subsidy eight days before the vote. Lula has framed the race as a defense of democracy against the movement of a convicted coup plotter; his opponent frames it as a referendum on an octogenarian machine politician who has been in public life for half a century. The first presidential debate of the campaign never happened — both front-runners stayed away, each calculating he had more to lose than to win.

What is certain: he leads the first round in every in-person poll and leads no runoff simulation beyond the margin of error. Follow the count on our live results page, the surveys in the daily poll tracker, the challenger’s record in our Flávio Bolsonaro profile, and the full field in the Brazil Elections 2026 complete guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Lula da Silva?

Brazil’s president, born 27 October 1945, a former metalworker and union leader who co-founded the Workers’ Party. He served two terms from 2003 to 2010, was jailed in the Lava Jato probe, saw his convictions annulled, and won a third term in 2022.

Was Lula’s conviction overturned?

Yes. The Supreme Court annulled his Lava Jato convictions in 2021, ruling that judge Sérgio Moro had been biased. It was a procedural annulment, not an acquittal on the merits, and it restored his political rights.

How old is Lula and can he run again?

He turns 81 on 27 October 2026, two days after the scheduled runoff. Brazil allows unlimited non-consecutive terms, so a fourth mandate is legal; he would be 81 at a January 2027 inauguration.

What are Lula’s chances in the 2026 election?

Final-week polls give him the first round against Flávio Bolsonaro (Datafolha: 40 to 36) and a runoff inside the margin of error. His rejection rate near 50 percent is the race’s biggest obstacle; the first round is on October 4.

This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error