The celebration finds the veteran leader at the heart of Brazilian politics, following a journey that began in a metalworking factory, spanned the labor strikes during the military dictatorship, and became one of the most recognizable figures in Latin America.

Born on October 27, 1945, in Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Lula’s family moved to Sao Paulo when he was a child. He began working in his teens and trained as a lathe operator before gaining prominence as a leader of the Metalworkers’ Union of Sao Bernardo do Campo and Diadema.

His path to the Planalto Palace, the seat of the Brazilian Executive, was marked by three consecutive electoral defeats in 1989, 1994, and 1998; however, he won elections in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006 for a second term.

Nevertheless, his political career also faced crises, investigations, and legal proceedings linked to the Lava Jato (Car Wash) judicial operation, which led to his conviction and imprisonment in 2018 and prevented him from participating in that year’s elections.

Lula returned to the presidential race in 2022 and defeated then President Jair Bolsonaro.

Two days ago, Lula won the presidential runoff with 51.79 percent of the valid votes against 48.21 percent for Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

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