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2d ago

Lula Declares 2026 Bid for Fourth Nonconsecutive Term

The move recalibrates a race left without Jair Bolsonaro after a 27-year sentence bars him from office.

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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, shakes hands with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto after a joint press conference at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
On October 20, 2025, in Brazil, the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, participates in the ceremony at the Planalto Palace to launch the Casa Brasil Reform Program. President Lula meets with US President Donald Trump at the 47th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to discuss the tariffs imposed on Brazil by the US government. (Photo by Ton Molina/NurPhoto)
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, left, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva salute their national flags as they inspect honor guards during a welcoming ceremony prior to their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Overview

  • Lula announced his candidacy during a joint press conference in Jakarta with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto while on a state visit.
  • Brazil’s constitution allows only two consecutive terms but permits nonconsecutive returns, leaving Lula legally eligible to run again.
  • Bolsonaro remains under house arrest and out of contention after the Supreme Federal Tribunal published his 27-year sentence linked to post-2022 coup efforts, fracturing the conservative field.
  • Lula’s Asia tour continues to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit, with Brazilian media reporting an expected first in-person meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss a 50% U.S. tariff on Brazilian goods.
  • Recent polls place Lula in the lead for 2026 despite substantial disapproval, and reports note a ratings bump after the U.S. tariff even as questions persist about his age and last year’s surgery for a brain bleed.