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Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Rising from metalworker and union leader to Brazil’s presidency and expanding anti-poverty programmes.
Workers’ Party · Bolsa Família
- Born
- 27 October 1945
- Birthplace
- Caetés, Brazil
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Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is a Brazilian politician and Workers’ Party co-founder. He served two presidential terms from 2003 to 2011 and returned to the office in January 2023.
Early life
Migration and work
Moved from Pernambuco to São Paulo as a child and entered factory work as a teenager.
Trade-union training
His experience as a metalworker led him into organising during military rule.
Career
- 1970s–1980s
Union and party leadership
Led major strikes and helped establish the Workers’ Party in 1980.
- 2003–2011
First two terms
Combined economic management with expanded social programmes.
- 2023
Return to office
Began another term after winning the 2022 election.
Defining policies and events
Workers’ Party
Helped build a political organisation rooted in labour and social movements.
Bolsa Família
His administration launched a programme combining cash support with health and schooling requirements.
Presidential election
Defeated Jair Bolsonaro to secure a return to the presidency.
Beyond work
Court proceedings
Was imprisoned after corruption convictions that Brazil’s Supreme Court annulled in 2021.
Family life
Married sociologist Rosângela da Silva in 2022 after being widowed twice.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional source ↗Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/PR. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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