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52-418: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ( Brazilian Portuguese: [luˈiz iˈnasju ˈlulɐ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ] ; born Luiz Inácio da Silva ; 27 October 1945), also known mononymously as Lula , is a Brazilian politician who has been the 39th and current president of Brazil since 2023. A member of the Workers' Party , Lula was the 35th president from 2003 to 2011. He has also held

104-486: A cause of disappointment for some. A number of educational initiatives were launched during Lula's first presidency. A free school meals program was extended to 37 million pupils while a programme was launched which aimed to provide "whole or partial remission of student fees for low-income students". In 2006, primary education was extended from 8 to 9 years. A Fund for the Maintenance and Development of Basic Education

156-533: A group of academics and union leaders, including Lula, founded the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) or Workers' Party, a left-wing party with progressive ideas. In 1983, he helped found the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT) trade union association. Lula first ran for office in 1982 for the state government of São Paulo , but lost with 11% of the vote. Cuban president Fidel Castro urged him to continue on as

208-620: A journey of 13 days in a pau-de-arara (open truck bed ), they arrived in Guarujá and discovered that Aristides had formed a second family with Valdomira, with whom he had 10 more children. Aristides's two families lived in the same house for some time, but they did not get along very well, and four years later, his mother moved with him and his siblings to a small room behind a bar in São Paulo. After that, Lula rarely saw his father, who died illiterate and an alcoholic in 1978. In 1982, he added

260-646: A member of the Brazilian Communist Party , Lula joined the labour movement when he worked at Villares Metals, rising through the ranks. He was elected in 1975, and re-elected in 1978, as president of the Steel Workers' Union of São Bernardo do Campo and Diadema . Both cities are located in the ABCD Region , home to most of Brazil's automobile manufacturing facilities, including Ford , Volkswagen , Toyota , and Mercedes-Benz . In

312-499: A new metalworking firm. There, in 1974, he lost his left pinky finger in a machinery accident, while working as a press operator in the factory. After the accident, he had to run to several hospitals before he received medical attention. This experience increased his interest in participating in the Workers' Union. Around that time, he became involved in union activities and held several union posts. Inspired by his brother Frei Chico,

364-701: A partial Brazilian default would have a massive ripple effect through the world economy. Lula in the 2002 election , defeated PSDB candidate José Serra in a runoff, to become the country's first leftist president following the fall of the military dictatorship in Brazil . In the 2006 election , Lula won a run-off over the PSDB's Geraldo Alckmin . In September 2018, Brazil's top electoral court banned Lula from running for president in 2018 due to his corruption conviction, in accordance with Brazil's Lei da Ficha Limpa law. Instead, Fernando Haddad ran for president on

416-572: A politician, during a trip by Lula to Cuba. In the 1986 election, Lula won a seat in the National Congress with the most votes nationwide. In 1989, Lula ran for president as the PT candidate. Lula advocated immediate land reform and that Brazil default on its external debt . A minor candidate, Fernando Collor de Mello , quickly amassed support with a more business-friendly agenda and by taking emphatic anti-corruption positions. He beat Lula in

468-576: A role in foreign policy, both on a regional level and as part of global trade and environment negotiations. During those terms, Lula was considered one of the most popular politicians in Brazil's history and left office with 80% approval rating. His first term was marked by notable scandals, including the Mensalão vote-buying scandal . After the 2010 Brazilian general election , he was succeeded by his former chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff , and remained active in politics and gave lectures. In July 2017, Lula

520-431: A significant expansion of the biofuel crops; that, in turn, may push agriculture deeper into forests, destroying habitat and biodiversity . The creation of conservation areas and indigenous reserves led to a decrease of around 75% in deforestation starting in 2004. In Lula's first year in office, in 2003-04, 25,000 square kilometers of Brazilian forest were destroyed, the second-worst devastation since 1977. In late 2006,

572-403: A strong boom in commodities prices . This fueled an economic boom in Brazil, which in turn allowed Lula to spend heavily on social programs and pay off a $ 15 billion IMF loan a year early. In the run-up to the 2002 elections, the fear of Lula taking drastic measures, and comparisons of him with Hugo Chávez of Venezuela , increased internal market speculation. This led to a drop in the value of

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624-413: A third from its original amount, and one year later, about $ 800 million was budgeted toward the program, but only $ 130 million of that was actually disbursed. Lula’s program was accused of having become more bark than bite, inasmuch as of May 2005, two years after the effort began, the program had fallen far short of expectations. During Lula's first term, child malnutrition decreased by 46%. In May 2010,

676-405: A warehouse. In 1961, he started working as an apprentice of a press operator in a metallurgical company that produced screws, while studying in a vocational course. There, Lula had his first contact with strike movements. After the movement failed in its negotiations, Lula left the company for another metallurgical company. From 1966 to 1980, he worked at Villares Metals S.A  [ pt ] ,

728-528: Is badly in need of repair and expansion. The business environment is restrictive, with a labor code ripped from the pages of Benito Mussolini 's economic playbook. Brazil also risks patting itself on the back so much that it fails to see the colossal work that remains to be done." Initially, Lula's administration pushed for progressive policies that significantly curbed deforestation in the Amazon. Despite this, he did not support legislation that would have required

780-588: Is the ultimate pragmatist". He travelled to more than 80 countries during his presidency. A goal of Lula's foreign policy was for the country to gain a seat as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. In this he was unsuccessful. From 2003 to 2010, Lula embraced China as central to reforming what he considered an unjust global order. He intertwined the Chinese and Brazilian economies. Lula stated Brazil's commitment to

832-628: The Brazilian real , and a downgrade of Brazil's credit rating . Lula chose Henrique Meirelles of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PDSB), a market-oriented economist, as head of the Brazilian Central Bank . As a former CEO of BankBoston he was well known to the market. Lula and his cabinet followed, to an extent, the lead of the previous government in economics. It renewed all agreements with

884-556: The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which were signed by the time Argentina defaulted on its own deals in 2001. His government achieved a satisfactory primary budget surplus in the first two years, as required by the IMF agreement, exceeding the target for the third year. In late 2005, the government paid off its debt to the IMF in full, two years ahead of schedule. The Brazilian economy was generally not affected by

936-535: The 2005 Mensalão scandal , which related to vote buying in the Brazilian Congress. In June 2005, economist and attorney José Dirceu , Lula's chief-of-staff since 2003, resigned after he was caught up in a massive corruption scheme in the legislature, the Mensalão corruption scandal. In March 2006, Lula's finance minister Antonio Palocci , who had continued the anti-inflation and pro-market policies of

988-569: The Brazilian state of Pará . It was to be the third-largest hydroelectric dam in the world. Environmental activists protested the building of the dam. It was expected to cause a significant decline in the water table , resulting in significant losses of aquatic and terrestrial fauna , and adversely impact aquatic mammals . Approximately 20,000-40,000 indigenous people were to be resettled with little or no compensation, and 516 square kilometers (199 square miles) of rain forest were to be flooded for

1040-635: The Instituto Soicioambiental environmental group said that deforestation in Lula's first four years had been worse than in any four-year period since 1988. By 2009, Brazil's Amazon destruction—though lower—was still about 7,000 square kilometers a year, larger than the US state of Delaware . Critics said, however, that Brazil's lowest rate of deforestation in 2009 was a function of the global financial crisis. Paulo Adario of Greenpeace said that it

1092-668: The One China principle that is the position held by the People's Republic of China and the ruling Chinese Communist Party , saying that the government of the People's Republic of China was the sole legal government representing the whole of China, including Taiwan —as part of China. President of Brazil Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

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1144-470: The Supreme Court, in a ruling which also found serious biases in the first case against him, also annulling all other pending cases. Now legally allowed to make another run for president, he did so in the 2022 election and ultimately defeated the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff. Sworn in on 1 January 2023 at the age of 77, he is the oldest Brazilian president at time of inauguration, as well as

1196-589: The UN World Food Programme (WFP) awarded Lula the title of "World Champion in the Fight against Hunger". A number of other social projects were introduced during Lula's first presidency. Lula launched a housing aid program that was larger in scope to the policies developed until then. More than 15 billion euros were invested in water purification and the urbanization of favelas , and more than 40 billion in housing. The government proposed to relocate

1248-519: The Workers Party ticket, and was defeated by Jair Bolsonaro . Lula, described as left-wing, served two terms as president from 2003 through 2010. During his farewell speech, he said he felt a burden to prove that he could handle the presidency despite his humble beginnings. "If I failed, it would be the workers' class which would be failing; it would be this country's poor who would be proving they did not have what it takes to rule". Very few of

1300-477: The classification of Brazilian debt from speculative to investment grade. Banks made record profits under Lula's government. The crash of Wall Street in 2008 might have been a tsunami in the US and Europe, Lula declared, but in Brazil it would be no more than a little 'ripple' (" uma marolinha "). The phrase was seized on by the Brazilian press as proof of Lula's reckless economic ignorance and irresponsibility. In 2008, Brazil enjoyed economic good health to fight

1352-642: The country to phase out its fossil fuels. In May 2008, environmental minister Marina Silva resigned, blamed “stagnation” in the government, after she lost disagreements with Lula when she opposed approval of new hydroelectric dams in the Amazon and criticized Lula's biofuels program. Dr. Daniel Nepstad of the Woods Hole Research Center said the growing demand for biofuels may ultimately result in more Amazon deforestation. In particular, environmentalists warn that while biofuels reduce emissions of greenhouse gases , they may well also trigger

1404-467: The dam's construction. In 1979, Lula was asked in an interview which historical figures he admired most. He answered: Gandhi , Che Guevara , and Mao Zedong . Upon being asked to give additional examples, he added Fidel Castro saying: "I admire in a man the fire to want to do something, and then his going out to try to do it." Leading a large agricultural state, Lula generally opposed and criticized farm subsidies, and this position has been seen as one of

1456-438: The details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 545934881 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:33:19 GMT Agreste Most of the agreste is hilly, its hills becoming higher at south, except near the narrow valley of São Francisco River. This land is mostly used for mixed farming , prevailing fruits, of which melons have especial importance. Like

1508-604: The first-ever candidate to have defeated an incumbent president and to be elected to a third term. Luiz Inácio da Silva was born on 27 October 1945 (registered with a date of birth of 6 October 1945) in Caetés (then a district of Garanhuns ), 250 km (160 mi) from Recife , capital of Pernambuco , a state in the Northeast of Brazil . He was the seventh of eight children of Aristides Inácio da Silva and Eurídice Ferreira de Melo, farmers who had experienced famine in one of

1560-428: The global financial crisis with a large economic stimulus lasting, at least, until 2014. According to The Washington Post : "Under Lula, Brazil became the world's eighth-largest economy, [and] more than 20 million people rose out of acute poverty ..." At the same time, in 2010 The Wall Street Journal noted that: "[Brazil’s] public sector is bloated and riddled with corruption. Crime is rampant. Its infrastructure

1612-403: The late 1970s, when Brazil was under military rule, Lula helped organize union activities, including major strikes . Labour courts found the strikes illegal, and in 1980, Lula was jailed for a month. Due to this, and like other people imprisoned for political activities under the military government, Lula was awarded a lifetime pension after the fall of the military regime. On 10 February 1980,

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1664-541: The lead of a project that had already been put into practice in 1995 by the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration, which was named Bolsa Escola (School Stipend). It expanded that initiative with the new Fome Zero ("Zero Hunger") program, which was part of the Bolsa Família (Family Allowance) plan. Five months after Lula took office, however, the budget for Fome Zero was cut down

1716-404: The leaders of the 1984 Diretas Já movement, which demanded direct elections. In 1986 , he was elected a federal deputy in the state of São Paulo . He ran for president in 1989 , but lost in the second round. He went on to also lose two other presidential elections, both in 1994 , and then in 1998 . He finally became president in 2002 , in a runoff. In 2006 , he was successfully re-elected in

1768-447: The nickname Lula to his legal name. Twice a widower , Lula has been married three times, and has a daughter from a fourth relationship. In 1969, he married Maria de Lourdes Ribeiro. She died of hepatitis in 1971 while pregnant with a child, who also died. In March 1974, Lula had an illegitimate daughter, Lurian, with his then-girlfriend, Miriam Cordeiro. The two never married. Lula only began participating in his daughter's life when she

1820-525: The poor populations that occupied the "risk zones", prone to floods or landslides; at the end of the day, however, at least 212 people died and at least 15,000 people were made homeless by the April 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides alone. It proposed to then extend the electricity network, to relocate the streets and to improve the precarious housing. The government undertook to democratize access to real estate credit. Lula's first two terms coincided with

1872-482: The poorest parts of the agreste . He was raised Catholic . Lula's mother was of Portuguese and partial Italian descent. Two weeks after Lula's birth, his father moved to Santos, São Paulo , with – though Eurídice was not aware of it – her younger cousin Valdomira Ferreira de Góis. In December 1952, when Lula was seven years old, his mother moved the family to São Paulo to rejoin her husband. After

1924-450: The presidency of the G20 since 2023. Lula quit school after second grade to work, and did not learn to read until he was ten years old. As a teenager, he worked as a metalworker and became a trade unionist . Between 1978 and 1980, he led workers' strikes during Brazil's military dictatorship , and in 1980, he helped start the Workers' Party during Brazil's political opening . Lula was one of

1976-487: The previous centrist government, resigned due to his involvement in a corruption and abuse of power scandal. Lula then appointed Guido Mantega , a PT economist, as finance minister. Not long after the start of his second term, in 2007 Lula's government announced the Growth Acceleration Program ( Programa de Aceleração de Crescimento , PAC), an investment program which sought to solve many of

2028-487: The problems that prevented the Brazilian economy from expanding more rapidly. The measures included investment in the creation and repair of roads and railways, simplification and reduction of taxation, and modernization of the country's energy production to avoid further shortages. The money pledged to be spent on this program was to be around R$ 500 billion (US $ 260 billion) over four years. However, by 2010 many projects remained mired in bureaucracy, and only 11% of

2080-536: The projects outlined in the plan had been completed, while just over half had not even been launched. Prior to taking office, Lula had been a critic of privatization . His administration created public-private partnership concessions for seven federal roadways. After decades with the largest foreign debt among emerging economies , Brazil became a net creditor for the first time in January 2008. By mid-2008, both Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's had elevated

2132-589: The reasons for the walkout of developing nations and subsequent collapse of the Cancún World Trade Organization talks in 2003 over G8 agricultural subsidies. Brazil played a role in negotiations regarding internal conflicts in Venezuela and Colombia , and made efforts to strengthen Mercosur . During the Lula administration, Brazilian foreign trade increased dramatically, changing from deficits to several surpluses after 2003. In 2004,

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2184-537: The reforms that Lula proposed were actually implemented during Lula's terms of office. Some wings of the Worker's Party disagreed with the increasing moderation in focus since the late eighties, and left the party to form other parties, such as during Lula's presidency, the Socialism and Liberty Party . Alliances with old, traditional oligarch politicians, like former presidents José Sarney and Fernando Collor, have been

2236-413: The second round of the 1989 elections . Lula decided not to run for re-election as a Congressman in 1990. Lula ran again for president, and lost again, in the next two Brazilian elections. Former PSDB Minister of Finance Fernando Henrique Cardoso defeated Lula who received only 27% of the vote in the presidential elections in 1994 , and again, by a somewhat smaller margin, as Lula garnered only 32% of

2288-448: The second round. Described as left-wing, his first presidency coincided with South America's first pink tide . During his first two consecutive terms in office, he continued fiscal policies and promoted social welfare programs such as Bolsa Família that eventually led to growth in GDP, reduction in external debt and inflation, and helping 20 million Brazilians escape poverty. He also played

2340-593: The surplus was US$ 29 billion, due to a substantial increase in global demand for commodities. Brazil also provided UN peacekeeping troops and led a peacekeeping mission in Haiti . According to The Economist of 2 March 2006, Lula had a pragmatic foreign policy, seeing himself as a negotiator, not an ideologue, a leader adept at reconciling opposites. As a result, he befriended both Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and U.S. President George W. Bush . Former Finance Minister , and current advisor, Delfim Netto, said: "Lula

2392-527: The vote in 1998 . An article in The Washington Post said that before 2002, Lula had been a "strident union organizer known for his bushy beard and Che Guevara T-shirts". In the 2002 campaign, Lula abandoned both his informal clothing style and his platform plank that Brazil should not pay its foreign debt unless it links the payment to a prior thorough audit. This last point had worried economists, businessmen, and banks, who feared that even

2444-414: Was a function not of efforts to protect the climate, but of the fact that the "demand for beef, soya and wood ha[d] dramatically fallen". In 2009, Lula gave a speech in which he said that "gringos" should pay Amazon nations to prevent deforestation. In February 2010, Lula's government approved the construction of a controversial hydroelectric mega Belo Monte Dam in the middle of the Amazon rain forest in

2496-521: Was already a young adult. Two months later, in May 1974, Lula married Marisa Letícia Rocco Casa , a 24-year-old widow whom he had met the prior year. He had three sons with her, and adopted her son from her first marriage. The two remained married for 43 years, until her death on 2 February 2017, after a stroke. Later that same year, he met and started a relationship with Rosângela da Silva , known as Janja. The relationship only became public in 2019 while he

2548-538: Was convicted on charges of money laundering and corruption in the Operation Car Wash context, after which he spent a total of 580 days in prison. He attempted to run in the 2018 Brazilian presidential election , but was disqualified under Brazil's Ficha Limpa law. He was convicted again in February 2019, and was released from prison the following November. His two convictions were nullified in 2021 by

2600-459: Was only loosely enforced; 90% of children in rural areas attended school for less than four years, and only 25% of children living in favelas attended school. Lula's top social program sought to eradicate hunger. It was financed by an increase in tax revenues, coupled with a decrease in government expenditures on both wages and on benefits paid to public employees, as well as a decrease in government expenditures on infrastructure. The program followed

2652-479: Was serving time in jail in Curitiba , Paraná, on corruption charges. Lula and Janja married on 18 May 2022. Lula is Catholic . Lula had little formal education. He did not learn to read until he was ten years old. He quit school after the second grade to work. His first job at age eight was as a street vendor. When he was 12, he also worked as a shoeshiner. In 1960, when he was 14, he got his first formal job, in

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2704-421: Was set up to improve the quality of education. The PED (an education development plan) conditioned the disbursement of public funds to state schools on the schools' performance. Still in 2006, many Brazilians and commentators felt that Lula had not done enough to improve the quality of public education. And in 2010, while education was compulsory for all children in Brazil aged 7 to 14, in practice that requirement

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