Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Born	Luiz Inácio da Silva 27 10, 1945
Birthplace	Caetés, Pernambuco, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Occupation	Politician, trade unionist, former metalworker
Title	President of Brazil
Known for	35th and 39th President of Brazil; co-founder of the Workers' Party; leadership of the ABC strikes
Spouse(s)	Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva (deceased); Rosângela da Silva (m. 2022)
Awards	Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation (2003)

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), commonly known as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker serving as the 39th President of Brazil since 1 January 2023. A co-founder and longtime leader of the Workers' Party (PT), Lula previously served as the 35th president from 2003 to 2011. His life trajectory—from impoverished childhood in northeastern Brazil to the highest office in the country—has made him one of the most consequential political figures in Brazilian and Latin American history. Born in Pernambuco, Lula left school after the second grade to work and did not learn to read until the age of ten. He rose through the ranks of the metalworkers' union in São Paulo state, where he led major strikes against Brazil's military dictatorship between 1978 and 1980. After losing three consecutive presidential elections in 1989, 1994, and 1998, Lula won the presidency in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. His first two terms were marked by significant social welfare programs, economic growth, and poverty reduction, though also by corruption scandals including the Mensalão affair. After leaving office in 2011 with an 80% approval rating, Lula was convicted on corruption charges in 2017 and imprisoned in 2018, spending 580 days in prison before those convictions were annulled by the Supreme Federal Court in 2021. He ran again in the 2022 presidential election and defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff, becoming the first Brazilian president elected to a third term and the first to defeat a sitting president.

Early Life

Luiz Inácio da Silva was born on 27 October 1945 in Caetés, a small town in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco. He was one of several children in a poor family. His early years were shaped by the grinding poverty that characterized much of northeastern Brazil in the mid-twentieth century. Lula quit school after completing only the second grade in order to work and contribute to his family's income. He did not learn to read until he was ten years old, a biographical detail that would later become symbolic of his connection to Brazil's working class and the millions of impoverished citizens he would seek to represent.

As a young man, Lula migrated to the industrial region of São Paulo, a pattern shared by millions of northeastern Brazilians who sought better economic opportunities in the country's southeast. He found employment as a metalworker in the factories of the ABC region—an industrial belt comprising the municipalities of Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, and São Caetano do Sul on the outskirts of São Paulo city. This experience in the industrial workforce would prove formative, drawing Lula into the labor movement and setting the course for his political career. He became active in the metalworkers' union and rose to a leadership position within it.

Between 1978 and 1980, Lula led a series of major strikes known as the ABC strikes in the industrial heartland of São Paulo state. These strikes took place during the period of Brazil's military dictatorship, which had been in power since a 1964 coup. The strikes were among the largest and most significant labor actions in Brazilian history, directly challenging the authoritarian government's labor policies and restrictions on union activity. The ABC strikes drew national and international attention, establishing Lula as one of the leading voices of the Brazilian working class and of resistance to military rule. The strikes are widely seen as a critical moment in Brazil's eventual transition back to democratic governance.

Career

Workers' Party and Early Political Career

In 1980, in the context of Brazil's gradual redemocratization, Lula was a co-founder of the Workers' Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, or PT), which brought together trade unionists, intellectuals, left-wing Catholics, and social movement activists. He served as the party's first national president from its founding on 9 August 1980 until 17 January 1988, and later served again as national president from 15 July 1990 to 24 January 1994.

Lula was one of the prominent leaders of the Diretas Já movement in 1984, a mass civic campaign that demanded direct presidential elections during the final years of Brazil's military dictatorship. Although the movement did not immediately achieve its goal—the military government used its congressional majority to block the constitutional amendment allowing direct elections—it represented a watershed moment in Brazilian politics and helped accelerate the end of authoritarian rule.

In 1986, Lula was elected as a federal deputy representing the state of São Paulo, serving in the Chamber of Deputies from 1 February 1987 to 1 February 1991. His tenure in the legislature coincided with the drafting and adoption of Brazil's 1988 Constitution, which re-established the full framework of democratic governance in the country.

Presidential Campaigns: 1989–1998

Lula first ran for the presidency in the 1989 presidential election, Brazil's first direct presidential election since the end of the military dictatorship. He advanced to the second-round runoff but lost to Fernando Collor de Mello. Lula ran again in the 1994 presidential election, losing to Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and once more in the 1998 presidential election, again losing to Cardoso. Each of these defeats prompted strategic and ideological adjustments within both Lula's campaign approach and the Workers' Party more broadly. By the early 2000s, Lula had shifted his public image toward a more moderate, business-friendly stance, while maintaining his core commitment to social programs and poverty reduction.

First Presidency: 2003–2011

Lula won the presidency in the 2002 presidential election, defeating José Serra in a second-round runoff. He took office on 1 January 2003, with José Alencar serving as vice president. He succeeded Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who had served two terms.

Lula's first presidency coincided with what became known as Latin America's first Pink tide, a period in which left-leaning governments came to power across South America. In terms of economic policy, Lula continued certain fiscal policies of the previous administration while significantly expanding social welfare programs. The most prominent of these was the Bolsa Família program, a conditional cash transfer initiative that provided direct financial assistance to millions of low-income families in exchange for meeting conditions such as keeping children in school and maintaining vaccinations. The program became a model studied and emulated internationally.

During Lula's two terms in office, Brazil experienced significant economic growth, reductions in external debt and inflation, and a substantial decrease in poverty. Millions of Brazilians moved out of extreme poverty, and the country's middle class expanded considerably. Lula also played an active role in foreign policy, both at a regional level within South America and as part of global trade and environmental negotiations. Brazil's international profile grew during this period, and Lula became a prominent voice for developing nations on the world stage.

However, Lula's first term was also marked by notable corruption scandals. The most significant was the Mensalão scandal, a vote-buying scheme in which members of the Workers' Party were accused of making regular payments to members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of government legislation. The scandal became one of the largest political corruption cases in Brazilian history and led to the trial and conviction of several senior members of Lula's party and government. Lula himself was not charged in the Mensalão case, but the scandal damaged the reputation of the Workers' Party.

Lula was re-elected in the 2006 presidential election, winning a second-round runoff. He continued his social and economic programs during his second term, and by the time he left office on 1 January 2011, he held an approval rating of approximately 80%, making him one of the most popular presidents in Brazilian history at the end of a term. He was succeeded by Dilma Rousseff, who had served as his chief of staff and was elected as the country's first female president with Lula's strong support.

Post-Presidency and Corruption Convictions

After leaving office, Lula remained active in politics, continued to be a prominent figure within the Workers' Party, and gave lectures both domestically and internationally.

In March 2016, amid a wide-ranging political crisis in Brazil, Lula's appointment to the cabinet position of chief of staff under President Dilma Rousseff was suspended by a minister of the Supreme Federal Court, Gilmar Mendes. The appointment had been widely criticized as an attempt to shield Lula from prosecution, as cabinet members at the time could only be tried by the Supreme Court. The episode occurred in the context of the broader political turmoil that would lead to Rousseff's impeachment later that year.

In July 2017, Lula was convicted on charges of money laundering and corruption in connection with Operation Car Wash (Operação Lava Jato), a massive anti-corruption investigation that implicated dozens of politicians and business figures across Brazil's political spectrum. Judge Sergio Moro presided over the case and sentenced Lula to prison. Lula was arrested in April 2018 and went on to spend a total of 580 days in prison.

Despite his imprisonment, Lula initially attempted to run in the 2018 presidential election, but was disqualified under Brazil's Ficha Limpa (Clean Record) law, which bars candidates with criminal convictions upheld on appeal from running for office. He was convicted again on separate charges in February 2019. Lula was released from prison in November 2019.

In 2021, the Supreme Federal Court annulled both of Lula's convictions in a landmark ruling. The court found that the federal court in Curitiba, where Moro had presided, did not have jurisdiction over the cases, and separately found evidence of serious judicial bias in Moro's handling of the first case against Lula. All other pending cases against Lula were also annulled, restoring his political rights and making him legally eligible to run for office again.

2022 Presidential Election and Return to Power

With his convictions annulled and political rights restored, Lula announced his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election, running against the incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, among other candidates. The election was held in a deeply polarized political environment, with sharp divisions over issues including the economy, environmental policy, management of the COVID-19 pandemic, and democratic norms.

In the first round of voting on 2 October 2022, neither candidate achieved the absolute majority needed to win outright, sending the race to a second-round runoff held on 30 October 2022. Lula defeated Bolsonaro in the runoff, winning by a narrow margin in what was described as one of the closest presidential elections in Brazilian history.

Lula was sworn in as president on 1 January 2023, with Geraldo Alckmin—a former political rival and center-right figure—serving as vice president. At 77 years of age, Lula became the oldest person to assume the Brazilian presidency at the time of inauguration. His election represented several historical firsts: he was the first Brazilian president to defeat a sitting incumbent, and the first to be elected to a third term in office (though nonconsecutive).

Third Presidency: 2023–Present

Lula's return to the presidency was immediately challenged by the 8 January 2023 attacks, in which supporters of former president Bolsonaro stormed and vandalized the buildings housing the Brazilian Congress, the Supreme Federal Court, and the presidential palace in Brasília. The attacks, which occurred just one week after Lula's inauguration, drew international comparisons to the 6 January 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. Lula condemned the attacks as acts against democracy and signed emergency decrees to restore order.

During his third presidency, Lula has focused on reinstating and expanding social welfare programs, addressing deforestation and environmental policy in the Amazon rainforest, and re-engaging Brazil with international organizations and multilateral diplomacy. His administration has been described as left-wing in orientation, continuing the political alignment of his first two terms.

Personal Life

Lula was married to Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, who died in February 2017. In May 2022, he married Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, a sociologist and political activist.

The name "Lula" originated as a nickname and was legally added to his name. He is commonly referred to mononymously as "Lula" in both Brazilian and international media. His personal story of rising from extreme poverty and illiteracy to the presidency has been a central element of his public identity throughout his political career.

Lula's imprisonment from April 2018 to November 2019 was a defining personal episode. He spent 580 days in federal police custody in the city of Curitiba, during which time he maintained his innocence and described the proceedings against him as politically motivated. The annulment of his convictions by the Supreme Federal Court in 2021 vindicated his legal position, though the episode remained a subject of political debate in Brazil.

Recognition

Lula received the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 2003, in recognition of his efforts to combat poverty and social inequality.

During his first presidency, Lula was cited by Time magazine as one of the most influential leaders in the world. His Bolsa Família program received international recognition and was studied by governments and organizations seeking to implement similar conditional cash transfer programs.

His approval rating of approximately 80% upon leaving office in January 2011 made him one of the most popular departing heads of state in democratic history. His ability to return to the presidency in 2023 after imprisonment and the annulment of his convictions was described in international media as "astonishing" and a major political comeback.

Lula's political influence extends beyond Brazil. He has been a prominent figure in Latin American left-wing politics and in international discussions on trade, development, and climate change. His relationship with other leaders of the pink tide era, including Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia, positioned him as a key figure in the broader leftward political shift in South America during the early 2000s.

Legacy

Lula's legacy in Brazilian politics is multifaceted and continues to evolve. As the co-founder of the Workers' Party, he helped create what became one of the largest and most influential political parties in Latin America. The PT fundamentally reshaped Brazilian politics by giving organized representation to the working class, the urban poor, and social movements within the formal political system.

His social welfare programs, particularly Bolsa Família, are credited with contributing to a significant reduction in poverty and inequality during his first two terms. The economic growth and social progress of the 2003–2011 period transformed the living conditions of millions of Brazilians and expanded the country's middle class. These achievements are frequently cited as the central accomplishments of his political career.

At the same time, the corruption scandals that occurred during his administrations, most notably the Mensalão affair, and the subsequent Operation Car Wash investigations that led to his conviction and imprisonment, remain central to assessments of his legacy. While his convictions were ultimately annulled on jurisdictional and bias grounds, the broader questions about corruption within the Workers' Party and its allied networks have not been fully resolved in public discourse.

Lula's return to the presidency in 2023, after imprisonment and political disqualification, is without precedent in Brazilian politics. His election at the age of 77, defeating an incumbent president in a deeply polarized environment, demonstrated both his enduring personal appeal and the continued strength of the political coalition he built over decades. His third term represents both a continuation of his earlier agenda and a response to the specific challenges of contemporary Brazil, including environmental degradation, economic recovery, and the defense of democratic institutions in the wake of the 8 January attacks.