Lula, 80, launches campaign for fourth and final term as Brazil's president, facing Flavio Bolsonaro and Trump's trade shadow

The convention

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, accepted the Workers' Party (PT) nomination for a fourth presidential term on Sunday at a convention in São Paulo, telling about 3,000 supporters he is "in great shape." The leftist leader, who returned to power in 2023 after two earlier terms from 2003 to 2010, is running for the seventh time. He said he wants to "fight against old age" and does daily physical exercises. Comparing himself to footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have played six World Cups, Lula said he would play a "seventh" (his seventh campaign). He promised it would be his last, after which he would go on vacation to flirt with his wife, Rosangela "Janja" da Silva, who stood beside him wearing a T-shirt printed with a childhood photo of Lula.

I want to fight against old age.

Supporters chanted "Lula, warrior of the Brazilian people" and waved red PT flags and signs reading "Brazil does not surrender." One supporter, Cristiane Rosa Julho, a 51-year-old social worker, told AFP that Lula's policies had changed her life.

Today I am here because Lula's policies changed my life and that of my family. Thanks to him, we now have our own home after eight generations who could not afford one.

The opponent and the Bolsonaro legacy

Lula will face Flavio Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old senator and son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022). Jair Bolsonaro is currently detained for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. The October vote thus pits the incumbent leftist against the heir of the right-wing movement that governed Brazil until last year. Lula, a former metalworker and union leader, has been the dominant figure of the Brazilian left for decades.

Trump's shadow and trade tensions

The campaign is unfolding under the shadow of US President Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro family ally who has backed successful right-wing candidates across Latin America. In July, Washington imposed two waves of tariffs on Brazilian products, citing alleged unfair trade practices. Last year, encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro's son Eduardo, the US had imposed a surtax in retaliation for the former president's trial, then largely lifted it after a brief warming between Lula and Trump. The renewed trade war has pushed Lula to centre his campaign on sovereignty.

In Brazil, we do not accept anyone sticking their nose where they are not invited.

An ally introduced Lula at the convention as "the anti-Trump." The president spoke in front of a large Brazilian flag, reinforcing the sovereignty theme.

Polls and the road to October

A recent Datafolha poll shows Lula with 48% of second-round voting intentions, against 43% for Flavio Bolsonaro. Lula's campaign is leaning on his social record, which includes a sharp reduction in poverty during his earlier terms. The election is scheduled for October 2026.