At 80, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was yesterday to launch his bid for re-election, casting himself as a defender of Brazil’s “sovereignty,” as pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration casts a shadow over the campaign.Lula, a leftist titan of Latin American politics who is loved and despised in near-equal measure in Brazil, was to launch his seventh bid for the presidency at a convention of his Worker’s Party (PT) in Sao Paulo.The former metalworker and unionist made a dramatic comeback when he returned to power three years ago after a stint in jail on corruption charges that were later dismissed, and two previous terms from 2003 to 2010.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a visit to the Federal Hospital of Andarai in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday last week.
He is seeking a fourth term in office in a race that carries a strong sense of deja vu in the polarized nation where the past two elections pitted a PT candidate against far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.This time, Lula’s main rival is the former president’s eldest son, Flavio Bolsonaro. The 45-year-old senator stepped into the role after his father was convicted of plotting a coup to prevent Lula from taking power in 2023.
