Lula da Silva: From Metalworker to Brazil's President

Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a historic presidential runoff election, becoming the first candidate since 1989 to overcome a first-round defeat and secure victory. The 81-year-old Workers' Party leader promised "the best term" in Brazilian history during his fourth presidential victory speech. Lula, a former metalworker without a university degree, rose from poverty as the seventh child of illiterate farmers to become a union leader during Brazil's military dictatorship. He founded the Workers' Party in 1980, lost three presidential elections before winning in 2002, and implemented social programs like Bolsa Família that reduced poverty and hunger. His career was interrupted by corruption convictions linked to the Car Wash investigation, leading to 580 days in prison before convictions were annulled in 2021. He returned to win in 2022, and now faces a deeply polarized Brazil with a center-right Congress and significant Bolsonarist opposition.