Hailed as a saviour, derided as a thief, Lula is back
Brazil’s election may turn on whether voters trust their former president
ON APRIL 9TH, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, is expected to announce he is running for the presidency of Brazil. For many Brazilians, it will be a moment to savour. The last time Lula held office, from 2003 to 2010, his welfare programmes lifted millions out of poverty. His gruff charisma charmed Barack Obama, then the president of the United States, who called Lula “the most popular politician on Earth”. When he left the presidential palace, with 11 trucks packed with gifts from well-wishers, his approval rating was 80%. As Brazilians reel from a poorly handled pandemic and stubborn inflation, it is not surprising that Lula leads Jair Bolsonaro, the populist incumbent, by double digits in most polls.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “How corrupt was Lula?”
From the April 9th 2022 edition
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