Who Is Lula, the Four-Time President of Brazil?

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who turns 81 on Tuesday, was reelected to his fourth term as president of Brazil on October 25. He is the seventh in a family of eight children from the state of Pernambuco, in northeastern Brazil. His political career began in the 1970s, at the Indústrias Villares factory, where he started working as a lathe operator at age 14. He led the metalworkers union in São Paulo in one of the strongest protests against the military regime of the time. He has gone from prison to the halls of power, with a beard reminiscent of that of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. His missing finger, the pinky on his left hand, is a testament to his journey, having been severed by an industrial press during his time as a metalworker.

He took the victory stage alongside his third wife, Rosângela “Janja” Lula da Silva, whom he has been married to since 2022. He celebrated victory over Flávio Bolsonaro in a runoff election after Bolsonaro failed to win an outright majority in the first round.

Lula, who has become the leader of the left movement in Brazil, surpassed his far-right challenger by about 4 million votes: 51.79% to 48.21%. Bolsonaro has still refused to concede. He contests the Supreme Court’s decision to extend polling hours by two hours—a measure that was previously requested by both candidates. The president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, and the the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta—both from center-right parties—congratulated Lula and declared the election valid.

“This election was a defeat for denialism, a defeat for lies,” Lula said in his victory speech, thanking “the Brazilian people for this generosity they have shown me for so long…the youth who took to the streets to defend democracy, and the elders who went to vote.” Lula looked to the youth during the campaign while denouncing foreign interference—whether from digital platforms or directly from Donald Trump: “This country will not accept being anyone’s backyard.” He assured the nation that he will collaborate with parliament, where the right wing has a strong presence. He has already done so over the past four years, making compromises on his progressive policies.