The Workers' Party (PT) proclaimed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as its presidential candidate for the October elections in Brazil this Sunday, during a ceremony held at the Expo Center Norte convention center in São Paulo in front of around 3,000 supporters, ministers, and leaders of the ruling coalition.
The president of the PT, Edinho Silva, confirmed the candidacy before the start of the event: "I want to say to all the members of the parties that are here: we have homologated, we officially announce now. Lula, president; Alckmin, vice."
The formula repeats the alliance with the moderate Geraldo Alckmin as the candidate for Vice Presidency, within the coalition called "Together for Brazil."
At 80 years old, Lula is facing his seventh run for the presidency of Brazil. He governed the country from 2003 to 2010 and returned to power in January 2023 after defeating Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election.
To dispel doubts about his health, the veteran union leader has repeatedly stated in recent months that he has "the same energy as when he was 30 years old." His annual medical check-up in March 2026 at the Sírio-Libanês Hospital yielded results "within the normal range."
Lula arrives at the campaign defending progress in reducing unemployment and poverty, although in a less favorable economic context: the gross domestic product is expected to grow by around 2% in this election year, down from 3.4% in 2024 and 2.3% in 2025.
The inflationary pressure keeps the basic interest rate at 14.25%, while the nominal deficit hovers around 10% of GDP and public debt has surpassed 80%, issues that the opposition aims to exploit during the campaign.
These economic challenges are compounded by a legal front: the Federal Supreme Court authorized the opening of two investigations for alleged influence peddling against his eldest son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as "Lulinha," related to dealings with the Ministry of Health and the public company Dataprev. Lula stated that he will not intervene to protect his son and that if he is guilty, "he will have to pay" like anyone else.
The elections are shaping up as a showdown between the progressivism led by Lula and the far-right represented by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45 years old, officially announced as the candidate of the Liberal Party on July 25 at a convention in the Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo.
Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been disqualified and sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempted coup and is currently under house arrest. He takes on the leadership of the conservative space as his father's political heir.
According to the latest survey by the firm Datafolha, conducted between July 22 and 23 with 2,004 voters, Lula would receive 48% of the voting intention compared to 43% for Flávio Bolsonaro in a potential runoff.
The general elections in Brazil are scheduled for October 4 for the first round and October 25 for the second round, in case no candidate reaches the absolute majority.
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