Who is Lula?
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva comes from Pernambuco, where he was born in 1945. He rose to lead a metalworkers' union in São Paulo and co-founded the Workers' Party in 1980. After serving as a federal deputy, he was Brazil's President between 2003 and 2010. Corruption convictions in the Car Wash investigations, in 2017, put him in prison for 580 days. Four years later the Supreme Federal Court annulled those convictions, on procedural grounds, because it ruled the trial court had no jurisdiction. His 2022 election win led to his taking office in January 2023. In round one, held 4 October 2026, Lula got 45.16 percent of valid votes and Flávio Bolsonaro 47.03 percent. The runoff on 25 October 2026 went to Lula, 51.79 percent to 48.21 percent according to the Superior Electoral Court, for a fourth term. A 2021 constitutional amendment fixes the start of that term at 5 January 2027.
Previously: Re-elected President in the 25 October 2026 runoff; fourth term begins 5 January 2027 · President of Brazil (2003-2010) · Federal deputy for São Paulo (1987-1991) · President of the ABC Metalworkers' Union (1975-1981)
Documented positions
- His 2026 programme retains the fiscal framework that limits growth in primary spending, and promises more investment, public and private.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- Congress promulgated, in October 2026, a constitutional amendment that he backed: it ends the six-day working week and caps the week at 40 hours, with no pay cuts.Source: poder360.com.br
- Favours taxes on offshore investments and exclusive funds, and an income tax exemption that stays in place for monthly earnings up to R$5,000.Source: bpmoney.com.br
- His plans use public banks and state companies as tools for investment, and include Petrobras going back into fuel distribution.Source: bpmoney.com.br
- He proposes creating a Ministry of Public Security, putting body cameras on more police, and continuing arms control policies.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- US tariffs and sanctions on Brazilian officials preceded his June 2026 appeal to President Donald Trump of the United States: stay out of Brazil's elections.Source: aljazeera.com
- He has called Israel's military campaign in Gaza a genocide, and Israel summoned Brazil's ambassador after his February 2024 remarks.Source: aljazeera.com
- His government has reservations about the Shield of the Americas, a security alliance led by the US, citing concern over foreign interference; Flávio Bolsonaro pledged to seek membership.Source: metropoles.com
Record
During the current term his government expanded Bolsa Família, widened the income tax exemption and passed a new fiscal framework and a reform of consumption taxes. A minimum tax on high incomes offsets the exemption's cost. October 2026 saw Congress promulgate the amendment that ends the six-day working week. Amazon deforestation has fallen, per official figures, to its lowest in more than a decade. Those social and environmental results, plus the way he defended Brazilian sovereignty against US tariffs, are what supporters cite.
Critics point to public debt, put by central bank data at 82.9 percent of GDP in August 2026. They also cite oil block auctions held alongside climate pledges, his statements on Ukraine and Gaza, and the 2025 vote in Congress that overturned his decree on a financial transactions tax.
In their words
“What's happening in the Gaza Strip isn't a war, it's a genocide.”
