Lula confirms bid for fourth term in 2026 Brazilian election

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who turns 80 next week, announced on Thursday that he will run for a fourth term in office in the 2026 elections.

“I’m about to turn 80 years old, but you can be sure I have the same energy I had when I was 30. And I will run for a fourth term in Brazil,” Lula said during a joint press conference with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta.

The Brazilian leader is on a state visit to Indonesia as part of efforts to strengthen ties with a fellow emerging economic power that shares similar global perspectives.

“I’m telling you this because we’re still going to see each other many times,” Lula told Subianto.

After months of hinting at a possible candidacy, Lula’s statement marks his first clear confirmation that he will seek re-election.

In December, Lula underwent emergency surgery to treat a brain bleed resulting from a fall two months earlier.

Lula previously served two consecutive terms from 2003 to 2010. His presidency transformed him into a leftist icon, but his reputation suffered a major blow when he was imprisoned for corruption in 2018—a conviction later overturned. He returned to power after narrowly defeating right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the contentious 2022 election, which left Brazil deeply polarized.

The political crisis following that election continues to echo. Bolsonaro was recently sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup after his defeat. The Supreme Court published the ruling on Wednesday, giving his defense five days to appeal.

With Bolsonaro under house arrest and effectively out of the race, Brazil’s conservative base currently lacks a clear leader ahead of the next presidential election.

SR