Lula da Silva launches bid for fourth term as Brazil's president, vows political reform and defense push

Convention in São Paulo

The Workers' Party (PT) formalized Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's candidacy for a fourth non-consecutive term on Sunday at the Expo Center Norte in São Paulo. Around 3,000 party members, ministers and coalition leaders attended the convention, which began at 10:00 local time. PT president Edinho Silva announced the ticket: "Ratificamos, oficializamos. Lula presidente, Geraldo Alckmin vice-presidente." The alliance with the moderate former governor Geraldo Alckmin, first forged in 2022 to defeat Jair Bolsonaro, was renewed for the October election.

Estamos aqui para formalizar, mas também para celebrar esta conquista política histórica, a conquista política que vai reeleger o Presidente Lula e o vice-presidente Alckmin, mantendo o nosso país neste caminho de reconstrução das políticas públicas.

Lula, a former metalworker and union leader who governed from 2003 to 2010 and returned to the Planalto Palace in 2023, is contesting his seventh presidential race. He directly addressed doubts about his age, saying he exercises daily and feels the same energy he had at 30. He compared his electoral journey to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo playing a seventh World Cup, and promised that after this term he would retire with his wife Janja.

Polls and the Bolsonaro challenge

Lula's main rival is Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, of the Liberal Party (PL), the eldest son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro. The latest Datafolha survey gives Lula 40% of first-round voting intentions against Flávio's 32%. In a projected runoff, Lula leads 48% to 43%. Lula said he wants to win outright in the first round, though polls suggest a second round is more likely.

Lula did not name his opponent in the speech but warned that the country cannot allow the far right to return to power. He called Flávio a "traitor of the homeland" in earlier remarks, accusing him of encouraging the United States to impose tariffs on Brazilian goods. The senator denies the charge. The US imposed new tariffs in July over alleged unfair trade practices, following earlier levies in 2025 that were largely suspended.

Economic headwinds

The campaign unfolds against a slowing economy. GDP growth is projected at around 2% for 2026, down from 3.4% in 2024 and 2.3% in 2025. Inflationary pressure, driven partly by global food and fuel prices, has kept the benchmark interest rate at 14.25%. The nominal public deficit stands near 10% of GDP and public debt has surpassed 80%, issues the opposition is expected to exploit alongside rising organized crime.

Lula defended his administration's record on reducing unemployment and poverty, but acknowledged the need for bolder action. "Vamos ter que ser mais ousados para mudar muita coisa," he said. He insisted he does not want to be remembered only as "the president of Bolsa Família," the flagship cash-transfer program created under PT governments.

Sovereignty, defense and institutional fights

A central theme of Lula's speech was national sovereignty over strategic resources. He called for greater investment in technology to exploit rare earths and critical minerals, declaring that "nem chinês, nem americano e nem francês vão meter o dedo." He also stressed defense preparedness, saying the left must abandon its reluctance to invest in the armed forces and that he wants to be ready so that no foreign power invades Brazil as he claimed happened in Venezuela.

Eu quero estar preparado para ninguém invadir esse país para levar esse presidente, como eles invadiram [Venezuela].

On domestic institutions, Lula promised a political reform that would confront the current role of the legislature and the system of parliamentary amendments. He warned he would not allow the presidency to lose its prerogatives, citing the appointment of Supreme Court justices and regulatory agency directors. His most recent nominee to the Supreme Court was rejected by Congress earlier this year.

Não posso permitir que o Presidente da República vá perdendo os seus direitos (...) Qual é o direito que vai ter o Presidente? Nenhum. Vai ter de ter briga democrática para fazer uma mudança nesse país.

Political scientist Leonardo Paz of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation told AFP that the sovereignty narrative fits Lula well at a time of declining popularity, allowing him to identify an external enemy to blame for domestic difficulties. A supporter at the convention, social worker Cristiane Rosa Julho, said Lula's policies had given her family their first home after eight generations of dispossession.