Brazil's Lula hints at 2026 re-election bid

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the launching ceremony of the Plano Safra 2025/2026, an action plan for the agricultural sector, at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil Jul 1, 2025. REUTERS

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva suggested on Friday that he will stand for re-election in 2026, but stopped short of making a formal announcement.

"Get ready. If everything goes the way I am thinking, this country will, for the first time, have a president elected four times by the Brazilian people," Lula told an event in Rio de Janeiro.

The 79-year-old leftist leader was elected in 2022 for his third non-consecutive term, having previously served as president between 2003 and 2010.

His remarks come as he faces a popularity crisis, with his approval ratings hovering around historic lows amid high inflation in Latin America's largest economy, and tensions with Congress, where he lacks a solid coalition.

Lula is Brazil's oldest sitting president ever and has had some health scares, including a pair of emergency surgeries last year to treat and prevent bleeding in his head.