Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - President of Brazil Biography Share By Christopher Minster Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (1945 - ), commonly referred to simply as “Lula,” is a Brazilian politician. He was elected President of Brazil in 2002, and re-elected in 2006. He is a liberal politician who often adopts centrist positions. He was a very effective president, avoiding scandals and allowing Brazilian industry to prosper while taking steps towards combating Brazil’s legendary poverty. Early Life: Lula was born in October, 1945 to poor parents in the town of Caetés, Pernambuco, but soon moved to a coastal city in São Paulo province. There was little time or money for young Lula to get an education, and he was working in the streets as a shoeshine boy and street vendor before he was in his teens. He was a hard worker and soon found full-time work in São Paulo’s booming automotive industry. Unionizer: In the 1960’s and 1970’s, there was a lot of work in the industrial factories of São Paulo, but little in the way of worker’s rights.

Lula became very involved in the movement to unionize the workers, and due to his natural leadership he rose quickly in the ranks of the union leadership. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World In the 1970’s he led several strikes, and was jailed for a while. In 1978 he was elected head of a steel-workers’ union. He became convinced that the true path to fair treatment for workers was not through unions and strikes, but through political power. Workers’ Party: In 1980, Lula became one of the founding members of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (“Party of the Workers,” known in Brazil by its initials PT). Lula was its first president. Brazil was at the time under a right-wing military dictatorship and organizing unions and political parties could have been very dangerous for Lula and his companions. The Party was not formally recognized by the Brazilian Electoral court until 1982. The PT was very popular with the working class and its growing political clout helped restore democracy to Brazil in the late 1980’s.

Lula’s Early Political Career: Lula first ran for office in 1982, for a seat in the São Paulo Province legislature, but lost. In 1986 he was elected to Congress, and by the time a new constitution was needed in the late 1980’s, the PT was powerful enough to demand a seat at the table to influence its provisions. Although the PT helped create the constitution, they refused to ratify the final result, as they felt it did not do enough to ensure workers’ rights. Lula ran for president in 1989, 1994 and 1998. He lost all three elections, although many believe that he only lost due to election fraud. Presidency: Lula continued to run for president and finally won in 2002. Although many feared that Lula would immediately implement radical socialistic reforms and perhaps even default on some of Brazil’s debt, he turned out to be a progressive moderate, preferring slow but steady social change. He quickly identified some very real and serious problems in his country and attacked them directly and effectively. One example was his campaign against malnutrition.

Under this program, the poorest Brazilian families received food aid, but only if their children stay in school. He also efficiently managed the Brazilian economy, managing steady growth without making any drastic reforms, while still paying off foreign debts and funding badly-needed social programs. Internationally, he never became the ranting demagogue that many feared, instead perfecting the role of respected statesman. He became a very important figure in Latin American politics, as he took great pains to be friendly with other nations. Lula’s Brazil was a leader in Latin American diplomacy: for example, Lula sent a peacekeeping, humanitarian mission to Haiti on his own initiative. He is a very forward-thinking leader, and under his administration Brazil became a leader in the worldwide search for biofuels and clean energy. In December of 2008, Newsweek magazine named him the 18th most influential person in the world. Lula left office in January 2011 after announcing that he would not seek to change the constitution to allow him to run for a third term as many other South American politicians have done. He was succeeded by his cabinet chief, Dilma Rousseff, his hand-picked successor, who was elected in the 2010 election.

When Lula left office, he had astronomically high approval ratings: above 80%, according to some pollsters. He has not ruled out a return to the presidency, but has said that President Rousseff has his full support. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva President of Brazil By H. Chris Lomas Amid a storm of criticism, “Lula” has brought Brazil back to life. After three attempts, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva achieved victory in the 2002 election and assumed office as the 35th president of the Federative Republic of Brazil on Jan. 1, 2003. For the first time in 40 years, Brazil—the largest economy in Latin America, and the 10th largest in the world—was led by a member of a leftist party from the working class. President da Silva (popularly known by his moniker “Lula”) was reelected in October 2006 for a second four-year term. Mr.

da Silva was one of the founders of the Workers’ Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores) in 1980, which is based on ideologies developed in the military dictatorship of the 70s. His election to the presidency was at first seen as the final nail in the coffin of the ailing Brazilian economy due to his move to bring a previously isolated Brazil into the world economic scene. But after seven years in office, President da Silva has managed to turn around the Brazilian economy. The nation is among the most rapidly growing economies in the world, known as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which is expected to dwarf today’s richest Western economic systems by 2050. Life Story World leaders did not readily accept President da Silva as he assumed office. Illiterate until age 10, he quit school after the fourth grade. From age 12, he spent most days working in the street, shining shoes and selling peanuts. At 14, he took a job in a copper-processing factory as a lathe operator. Five years later, while working as a press operator in an automobile parts factory, he lost his finger in a work-related accident. The incident sparked Mr.

da Silva’s interest in workers’ rights, leading him to become part of the Workers’ Union. With Brazil’s dictatorship government of that era restricting union activities, Mr. da Silva’s political views pushed to the left, and he began to focus on changing the traditional social order to create an equal distribution of wealth and privileges to the poor. In 1978, he was elected president of the Steelworkers Union in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most industrialized city, which houses the automotive manufacturing facilities of Ford, Mercedes Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen. Social Outreach As president of Brazil, Mr. da Silva began a process of reaching out to expand national ties with the rest of the world, a feat rarely done by previous leaders. He visited 75 countries and opened 33 embassies, including 14 in Africa. President da Silva sought to unite developing economies in the wake of the global financial crisis. Within his country, Mr. da Silva maintains a rigid schedule of giving attention to the poorest areas of Brazilian society and creating employment through public works programs.

Kenneth Maxwell, director of the Brazil Studies Program at Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center of Latin American Studies, said of President da Silva, “His charisma and his ability to mobilize the poor have been remarkable” (Reuters). Coming from humble roots has given the president the ability to sympathize with the poorest of the poor, giving him an edge over his opponents and keeping the support of the majority. At the top of the president’s social agenda is to eradicate hunger, which has received international praise for its progress—yet critics at home have derisively labeled it a “food for votes” program. Under Mr. da Silva’s presidency, Brazil has secured a better investment credit rating in its longest economical growth in 30 years. Under his guidance, 20 million people have been lifted out of poverty. Praise and Criticism In dealing with other nations, the Brazilian president has practiced a “hands on,” down-to-earth approach. Mr. da Silva sees himself as an arbitrator for his nation and is directly involved, as opposed to being a spectator. He has gained the respect of several world leaders, including former U.S. President George W. Bush and President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. According to The New York Times, U.S.

President Barack Obama referred to Lula as “My man,” even though Brazil sides with other developing countries against the United States in economic trade summits. Mr. da Silva’s pragmatic approach to his presidency and the upward swing in the national economy have resulted in him being accepted more widely among the Brazilian people. Though the country is in a recession, most believe that the economy will recover before Lula’s term in office expires. During his presidency, unemployment has dropped and per capita earnings have increased substantially. The relaxing of taxes on cars and major domestic appliances has also helped put more money back in consumers’ pockets, thus alleviating social burdens. Expand Image President da Silva weathered many scandals involving key advisors. The Workers’ Party, which has positioned itself as a tower of strength, has suffered scandals involving the bribing of candidates. In addition, the president lacks support for privatizing large areas within the Amazon to be deforested for cattle ranching to aid in meeting the local population’s needs. Leader of the largest Roman Catholic nation in the world, Mr. da Silva has garnered support for the government’s decision to pay for sex-change operations. At the conference, Minister José Gomes Temporão said that the move was in line with the government’s homosexual policies.

“It is one more step towards the consolidation of that policy,” he stated, “in which Brazil is a world leader” (DPA). The Future? Overall, President da Silva’s term in office has proved beneficial for Brazil. Newsweek named him as the 18th most important person in the world, and he is the only Latin American featured in the magazine’s list of the top 50 most influential leaders. With Mr. da Silva’s presidency ending in January 2011, Brazilians will need to seek a leader to take his place. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ushered in a new era of leadership, despite scandals, charges of corruption, and bizarre sexual legislation, yet has generally improved conditions for tens of millions of the Brazilian people. On May 23, 2009, leaders of South American governments signed an agreement of the Union of South American Nations in a move to mirror the European Union’s style of government. Brazil’s president referred to the treaty as the “fulfillment of a dream.” One may wonder if it will truly aid Brazil’s future.

More on this Subject: BBC News - Profile: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Profile: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Lula remains popular after almost 10 years in power It took Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva four attempts at becoming Brazil's president before he was finally elected in 2002 and then re-elected for a second term in 2006. Upon his first election, he became the first left-wing contender to hold the country's highest office in nearly half a century, following a landslide victory. In his last full year as Brazilian leader, he still commands high popularity ratings which most other world leaders would envy, correspondents say. But he cannot run for a third consecutive term. His 2002 election victory marked the end of an unprecedented journey - from abject poverty to the presidency of Brazil. Lula came to power promising major reforms to the country's political and economic system. He vowed to eradicate hunger and create a self-confident, caring, outward-looking nation. Analysts say it is because of some of his government's social programmes - which benefit tens of millions of Brazilians - that Lula has maintained huge popularity among the electorate.

He has raised Brazil's profile on the international scene and presided over Brazil's longest period of economic growth in three decades, they say. Road to pragmatism Lula began life in altogether more humble circumstances. The son of a poor, illiterate peasant family, Lula worked as a peanut seller and shoe-shine boy as a child, only learning to read when he was 10 years old. He went on to train as a metal worker and found work in an industrial city near Sao Paulo, where he lost the little finger of his left hand in an accident in the 1960s. The former metalworker was the first president of working-class origin Lula was not initially interested in politics, but threw himself into trade union activism after his first wife died of hepatitis in 1969. Elected leader of the 100,000-strong Metalworkers' Union in 1975, he transformed trade union activism in Brazil by turning what had mostly been government-friendly organisations into a powerful independent movement.

In 1980, Lula brought together a combination of trade unionists, intellectuals, Trotskyites and church activists to found the Workers' Party (PT), the first major socialist party in the country's history. Since then, the PT has gradually replaced its revolutionary commitment to changing the power structure in Brazil with a more pragmatic, social democratic platform. Before his 2002 election victory, Lula had previously lost three times, and he began to believe his party would never win power nationally without forming alliances and keeping powerful economic players onside. So his coalition in that election included a small right-wing party, and he carefully courted business leaders both in Brazil and abroad. The Workers' Party manifesto reflected its sometimes conflicting instincts. It remained committed to prioritising the poor, encouraging grassroots participation and defending ethical government. Performance in power In his almost 10 years in power, Lula has pumped billions of dollars into social programmes and can reasonably claim to be reversing Brazil's historic inequalities. By increasing the minimum wage well above inflation and broadening state help to the most impoverished with a family grant programme, the Bolsa Familia, he has helped some 44 million people and cemented his support among the poor.

However, many commentators argue that the programme fails to address the structural problems that underpin poverty, such as education. There is also some criticism of the country's economic performance under Lula. Although Brazil has seen steady annual growth, some business leaders argue it is losing the competitive edge against international rivals. Nonetheless, his government has quelled fears of the financial markets by keeping the economy stable and achieving the budget surplus required by the International Monetary Fund. Bookmark with: Welcome to politics, Brazil | openDemocracy Welcome to politics, Brazil Arthur Ituassu 1 November 2006 Subjects: politics of protest About the author Arthur Ituassu is professor in the department of social communication at the PontifÃ­cia Universidade CatÃ³lica in Rio de Janeiro. His website is here Sunday 29 October, 22.55 in Brasília: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is re-elected president of Brazil. Lula has defeated Geraldo Alckmin with 58.2 million votes (60.82%), against 37.5 million (39.18%) for his adversary: a second term is assured in a second round of voting.

The same day, the governors of Brazil's twenty-seven states are also elected. In this concluding article of a mini-series about the Brazilian election, I would like to do three things: search for the causes of Lula's victory, especially in respect to the corruption scandals that dominated his first term assess what is at stake in the second term, especially the main issues, forces and names likely to dominate the next four years argue that the current political situation in the country is marked by a mixture of old problems and new politics. Charisma retained Lula's political life entered troubled waters in June 2005, when a rightwing congressman, Roberto Jefferson, accused the president's Partido dos Trabalhadores [ Workers' Party/PT ] of buying votes in the Brasília parliament. The scheme operated via undeclared payments made each month (thus mensalão) to congressmen and some small parties in exchange for political support. The money was laundered through a publicity agency owned by a businessman called Marcos Valério (thus valerioduto). From June 2005 to 29 October 2006, politics in Brazil became an almost one-word song: corruption.

In the event, the scandal drew little blood among the political elite, but those it did fell were among the most powerful: those felled included the president's chief aide José Dirceu and the finance minister Antonio Palocci . Dirceu and Palocci were the two vertices of a triangle of power running Brazil, with Lula at the top. Dirceu was the president's political CEO, while Palocci kept the economy stable, controlling inflation and public spending - with the unfortunate but necessary by-product of high interest rates. The waterfall of scandal and revelation continued until the very eve of the election's first round, when some PT officials close to the president - including his campaign manager Ricardo Berzoini - were caught attempting to buy documents that contained (false) allegations against two of Lula's leading rivals: Geraldo Alckmin , his main challenger for the presidency, and José Serra, the former mayor of São Paulo. Serra had lost to Lula in the 2002 presidential race, and was standing (successfully, as it turned out) for the governorship of São Paulo. Both Alckmin and José Serra belong to the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB).

The party of the former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso is the main adversary today for Lula's PT in Brazilian politics. The political fallout of the last pre-election scandal was that Lula was forced to contest a second round. What had long seemed unbelievable came true: Alckmin had won himself another month of campaigning - and a couple of TV debates with Lula (who had absented himself from all of them until then, and been bitterly criticised for it). During the debates, the PSDB candidate tried to press the president into answering questions about the origin of the money used to buy the illegal documents supposedly incriminating him. But Alckmin's campaign was compromised by serious errors, including his alliance with Anthony and Rosângela Garotinho, the religious populists who control Rio de Janeiro state. He also failed to defend himself and his party properly against Lula's attacks on the PSDB's privatisation programme (an inheritance of the Cardoso years). The result was that Lula won on 29 October by a margin of more than twenty percentage points.

There are at least three ways to explain Lula's powerful victory, even after the series of corruption scandals that marked his first term in Brasília: he proved capable of distancing himself from the scandals, and allowing responsibility for them to be assumed by José Dirceu and the PT (and more widely by parliament and the institutions, with the familiar argument that "it has always been like that") he was successful in keeping inflation low and under control, enabling him to fund government programmes of direct assistance to the poor (resulting in a reduction in the numbers of poor people in Brazil by around 8 million during his first term) Lula retained his personal image as the charismatic standard-bearer of the left in Brazil, and proved that it still had potent appeal. All three elements may be part of the explanation, but the significance of the third should not be underestimated. Lula is a historic figure in Brazilian politics, associated with the struggle against the military regime (1964-85), the "re-democratisation" process that followed, and the fight for the workers and the poor.

This profile continued to serve him well when contrasted with Alckmin's Catholic-conservative image, especially in a country where the income of more than half of families is below even minimum-wage levels. Arthur Ituassu is professor of international relations at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica , Rio de Janeiro. His website is here Also by Arthur Ituassu on Brazil in openDemocracy: " Brazil, let's talk " (October 2006) The economics of power "It is the end of the Palocci era," said PT leader and Lula's minister Tarso Genro , winning headlines in all major newspapers in Brazil the day after the re-election. The former mayor of Porto Alegre (and my fellow openDemocracy contributor ) is now one of the PT's strongest figures, and among the current favourites to be the party's nominee for the 2010 presidential elections. His barbed reference to the chief architect of Brazil's economic policy in Lula's first term carries a firm message: "There is no need to focus neurotically on the control of inflation." Lula himself quickly disowned this view.

But Genro has staked out a clear position in the emerging debate over public spending in Brazil. For amid the intense, often sensationalist coverage of the corruption issue, a key outcome of the election is to have consolidated two distinct arguments about how best to run Brazil's public finances. Each argument is represented by leading figures in the PT and the PSDB respectively, though there is no doubt where the political momentum lies. Tarso Genro believes that there is no need to cut public spending: what is needed is to reduce interest rates and let the economy steam ahead, producing growth (and thus, in time, increased tax revenues). This will solve two current economic problems: high daily state spending (perhaps more than 20% of Brazil's GDP) on salaries, costs and benefits, not least on the famous Bolsa Família programme, where 11 million poor families receive money from the government; and very low levels of investment (1.8% of GDP) in health, education and infrastructure. The problem here is that 8% of Brazil's GDP is spent on paying interest rates on the public debt (and a further 4.5% on savings).

This puts added pressure on revenues raised by tax, which amount to around 38% of GDP - yet which do not produce a single public benefit to the Brazilian society, neither basic free education nor equal access to justice, health or security. Dilma Rousseff , Dirceu's successor as Lula's chief-of-staff, shares Genro's view. She opposes cuts in public spending and supports weaker inflation controls. But it is possible to read Genro's emphatic post-election statement as an early claim that he - rather than Roussef - should be the president's chosen candidate in 2010. Genro's and Rousseff's view is that of the PT in general. It also had wide support in the Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro ( PMDB ), which controls seven governorates (out of twenty-seven) and eighty-six seats in the lower chamber of the Brazilian congress (out of 513). The alternative argument is in favour of reductions in taxes and in public spending.

It is strongly held inside the PSDB, especially by Alckmin; but it also allies in the government, such as the current president of the Brazilian central bank, Henrique Meirelles (whom Genro and Rousseff have recently criticised). At the same time, there are others who seek to take a middle path, albeit with different degrees of emphasis; they include finance minister Guido Mantega , the probable new health minister Ciro Gomes and São Paulo's PSDB governor José Serra. Old problems, new politics The outcome of the contest over economic policy will help to shape Lula's second term and thus his place in history. But even more fundamentally, the president will over the next four years have to adjudicate the defining political contest in Brazil: the one between nationalists and liberals. Brazil's 2006 election has clarified this double-sided polarisation. Its first aspect is the party system itself, where the political environment is shaping itself around the PT-PSDB opposition. Its second aspect is a deeper political and intellectual division centring on the question of what the state should do and how should it do it.

(The "nationalist" and "liberal" answers to this question are reflected in several fields, such as foreign policy: should Brazil pursue a "third-world" strategy or one close to the major powers?) There are variants of these respective currents. The PT and the PMDB tend to be nationalist, but the former's adheres to a more "progressive" variety while the latter is more conservative. The PSDB and the Partido da Força Liberal ( PFL ) are more liberal, but with contrasting leanings to left and right. But the larger picture here is as significant as the detail. After all the events of the last thirty years in Brazil - the military regime, the process of re-democratisation, the problems of political and economic instability, the Real plan and the victory over hyperinflation - the country is experiencing stable politics again, with clear and different positions being consolidated across the spectrum. It is useful to remember that Lula's first four years marked the first time since the 1964 military coup when an elected president started and ended his term according to constitutional propriety.

Besides, there was in practice no effective constitution during the twenty years of the dictatorship; the first president elected after the dictatorship ( Tancredo Neves ) died before being able to govern; the second (Fernando Collor de Mello) was impeached; and the third (Fernando Henrique Cardoso) changed the law to permit his re-election. Even José Sarney (1985-90), who was not elected but inherited the presidency after the death of Tancredo Neves, changed the constitution to have one more year in the job. The polarisation between the PT and the PSDB, and around nationalists and liberals concerning the role of the state, is the great achievement of Brazil's 2006 elections. But every answer raises a fresh question. In the case of Brazil today it is: if politics is an expression of society, how can politics change society? Political science offers many answers to this question. A persuasive one is "consensus-building": the careful, patient, political gathering of social consensus around common issues. The evidence of the failure to provide real public benefits to Brazilian citizens is everywhere. This is the shared, tragic predicament of the Brazilian people (as well as of millions of South Americans).

Whether these are to be provided by a small or a very large state does not matter. Welcome to politics, Brazil. We encourage anyone to comment, please consult the Brazil's leftist president re-elected in landslide | The Independent Brazil's leftist president re-elected in landslide Monday 30 October 2006 01:15 BST Click to follow The Independent US President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was re-elected in a landslide last night as Brazilians rewarded their first working class leader for helping ease grinding poverty and improving the economy of Latin America's largest nation. The leftist former union leader, who had the support of tens of millions of poor voters, easily topped center-right rival Geraldo Alckmin, whose tepid campaign style and robotic imagine failed to win over ordinary Brazilians. Silva had 61 percent support compared to 39 percent for Alckmin, Sao Paulo state's former governor, with 99 percent of the votes counted. Election officials declared Silva the winner. "We're going to do a lot better in my second term than we did in the first," Silva told cheering supporters in a Sao Paulo hotel.

"The foundation is in place, and now we have to get to work." Beaming as he wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with "It's Brazil's Victory" in the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag, Silva promised to boost growth and reduce inequality to put the country on track to reach the ranks of developed nations. Silva's win came after Alckmin made a surprisingly strong showing in a first round of voting on Oct. 1, getting enough votes to prevent Silva from winning outright and forcing Sunday's runoff. Alckmin's first round surge in support came as Silva's Workers' Party was pounded by allegations of corruption, vote-buying and illegal campaign financing. But Brazil's first elected leftist president rebounded Sunday with the help of poor voters who have benefited handsomely over the past three years as Silva increased social spending without raising taxes. Alckmin hit the corruption allegations hard again, but to less effect this time around. While Silva came to power four years ago by employing strong leftist rhetoric, he ended up governing as a centrist and employed conservative economic policy in his first term.

He is considered more moderate than South American leftist leaders like Bolivia's Evo Morales and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, and analysts said Silva probably won't change much in his second term. Silva's economic policy "should remain more or less in the same line as before, but Silva will have to implement policies to increase growth and decrease unemployment," said David Fleischer, a political scientist at the University of Brasilia. After voting at a school in the industrial Sao Paulo suburb of Sao Bernardo do Campo where he gained fame as a union leader opposing Brazil's 1964-85 military dictatorship, Silva declared he would work harder in a second term to ease Brazil's vast divide between rich and poor and improve education. The push, he said, would help Brazil "take a leap in quality in the world of politics, economics and business." Nearly 126 million Brazilians voted in Sunday's runoff elections for president and for governor in 10 of Brazil's 27 states where elections were not decided in the first round. Alckmin didn't immediately comment on the outcome, though Silva and an aide said he made a phone call to congratulate the president on his victory.

Earlier Sunday, Alckmin voted in Sao Paulo's upscale Morumbi district accompanied by former-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and the state's governor-elect Jose Serra, who lost to Silva in the 2002 presidential elections. Silva's campaign has been dogged by a scandal in which the news media ran photos of US$770,000 (¤607,000) in cash that members of his Workers Party allegedly planned to spend on purchasing an incriminating file about Alckmin and his allies. The charges followed a string of corruption allegations against Silva's leftist Workers' Party. While Silva was never personally implicated, the exposes reinforced suspicions of government corruption - suspicions stressed by Alckmin in his campaign speeches. Cardoso, who was president for eight years prior to Silva, continued to hammer at the allegations against Silva's party, known here at the PT. "The PT can't cover up the crimes, Brazil has to investigate," Cardoso said. "Brazil is tired of impunity." Still, Alckmin failed to make the corruption charges stick to Silva.

Instead, Silva battered his opponent with accusations that the former governor of Brazil's richest state would privatize cherished state industries and end the popular Family Allowance program that provides monthly payouts to 11 million poor families as long as they keep their children in school and get them vaccinated. While Alckmin repeatedly said he would continue the program, analysts say it helped lift millions out of poverty and translated into guaranteed votes for Silva. Silva also managed to reduce Brazil's notoriously high inflation through high interest rates, and prices of staples like rice and beans even dropped. Alckmin criticized Brazilian growth as lackluster compared to the rest of Latin America, but Aloisio Pisco, a 36-year-old doorman, said Silva's handling of the economy earned him the right to a second term. "Lula, he's the best," Pisco said. "He's created jobs and prices are cheaper." More about: Lula of Brazil - Richard Bourne - Paperback - University of California Press Reviews Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's dramatic life story has captured the imagination of millions, and his progressive politics have brought hope and excitement to Brazil—and the world.

This compelling work is the first major English-language biography of the metalworker who became president of Latin America's largest and most powerful country. In a clearly written, vividly detailed narrative, Richard Bourne describes Lula's childhood hardships in an impoverished family, his days as a revered trade unionist, and the strike movement that brought down Brazil's military dictatorship. The book chronicles Lula's campaigns for the presidency, his first term in office beginning in 2002, a major corruption scandal, and his reelection in 2006. Throughout, Lula of Brazil connects this charismatic leader's life to larger issues, such as the difficulty of maintaining a progressive policy in an era of globalization. Brazil's contemporary history, parallels with other developing countries and other world leaders, the conservatism of Brazilian society, and other themes provide a rich backdrop for assessing the struggles, achievements, and failures of this major figure on both the Brazilian and the world stage. List of Illustrations 1. A Tough Start in Life 2. Strike Leader 3. The PT, the Workers' Party 4. Persistent Candidate for the Presidency 5. Overview of the First Term 6. Domestic Policy 7. International and Economic Policy 8.

Corruption and Scandal 9. The Elections of 2006 10. Lula So Far: An Interim Assessment Notes Select Bibliography Index Richard Bourne is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at London University. He is author of several books including Assault on the Amazon, Getúlio Vargas of Brazil: Sphinx of the Pampas, and Political Leaders of Latin America. “As the election of Barack Obama as America's president illustrates, besides competence it's helpful to have a compelling backstory. Richard Bourne's new book describes another such rags to riches saga in profiling the life of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- known to South America and, increasingly, to the world as Lula.”—History Wire "A much-needed full-length portrait of the latest South American political phenomenon. Timely reading for anyone seeking to understand Brazil's newest experiment in democracy."—Thomas E.

Skidmore, author of Politics in Brazil, 1930-1964: An Experiment in Democracy "President Lula is perhaps the most elusive figure to have reached the top of Brazilian politics, and Richard Bourne's fine study of the man and his background is a well-researched and illuminating report. This is a trenchant, warts-and-all account of Lula's career, charting his rise from leftist, trade union activism to moderate statesmanship of a familiar Brazilian pattern. In spite of damaging incidents of political corruption, analyzed here in critical detail, Bourne explains convincingly how Lula's unusual popular touch, coupled with his astute manipulation of the existing political system, enabled him to outshine his rivals and win two election victories."—Richard Gott, author of Cuba: A New History and Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution "Lula is the most important leader of the new, democratic Latin American left, in stark contrast with old-style caudillos who pretend to be something new.

This biography traces Lula's long road to power back to his poor origins in the backlands of Northeastern Brazil to the periphery of São Paulo, South America's industrial powerhouse, where he became the main union leader in the fight against the military dictatorship. Then he created the PT (Workers' Party) and changed the history of the Latin American left. It is an essential reading for anyone interested in Latin America's new left and the emergence of Brazil as a regional power, and maybe in the future a world power." –Nelson Franco Jobim, journalist and lecturer Related Titles Profile: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - BBC News BBC News Profile: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 9 March 2016 Close share panel Image copyright AFP Image caption Lula is still a well-liked figure but recent corruption allegations have hit his popularity It took Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva four attempts before he was finally elected as Brazil's president in 2002. He came to office as the first leftist leader in Brazil in nearly half a century. And he left eight years later, barred from standing for a third term, enjoying exceptionally high popularity ratings for a retiring Latin American leader.

His 2002 election victory marked the end of an unprecedented journey from abject poverty to the presidency of Brazil. Lula came to power promising major reforms to the country's political and economic system. He vowed to eradicate hunger and create a self-confident, caring, outward-looking nation. Analysts say it is because of some of his government's social programmes, which benefited tens of millions of Brazilians, that Lula retained his popularity. He raised Brazil's profile on the international scene and presided over Brazil's longest period of economic growth in three decades, they say. But his popularity has been hit lately by accusations that he had knowledge of, or involvement in, wrongdoings at the state-controlled oil company Petrobras, something he has consistently denied. Road to pragmatism Lula's life began in humble circumstances. The son of a poor, illiterate peasant family, Lula worked as a peanut seller and shoe-shine boy as a child, only learning to read when he was 10 years old.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Lula was sworn in in 2003 and re-elected for a second term in 2006 He went on to train as a metal worker and found work in an industrial city near Sao Paulo, where he lost the little finger of his left hand in an accident in the 1960s. Lula was not initially interested in politics but threw himself into trade union activism after his first wife died of hepatitis in 1969. Elected leader of the 100,000-strong Metalworkers' Union in 1975, he transformed trade union activism in Brazil by turning what had mostly been government-friendly organisations into a powerful independent movement. In 1980, Lula brought together a combination of trade unionists, intellectuals, Trotskyites and church activists to found the Workers' Party (PT), the first major socialist party in the country's history. Since then, the PT has gradually replaced its revolutionary commitment to changing the power structure in Brazil with a more pragmatic, social democratic platform.

Before his 2002 election victory, Lula had previously lost three times and he began to believe his party would never win power nationally without forming alliances and keeping powerful economic players onside. His coalition in that election included a small right-wing party and he carefully courted business leaders both in Brazil and abroad. The Workers' Party manifesto reflected these sometimes conflicting visions but overall remained committed to prioritising the poor, encouraging grassroots participation and defending ethical government. Performance in power In his time in office, Lula pumped billions of dollars into social programmes and can reasonably claim to have helped reverse Brazil's historic inequalities. By increasing the minimum wage well above the rate of inflation and broadening state help to the most impoverished with a family grant programme, the Bolsa Familia, he helped some 44 million people and cemented his support among the poor. Image copyright EPA Image caption Lula led Brazil during its economic boom in the 2000s However, many commentators argue that the programme failed to address the structural problems that underpin poverty, such as education. There was also some criticism of the country's economic performance under Lula. Although Brazil saw steady annual growth, some business leaders argued it lost its competitive edge against international rivals.

Nonetheless, his government quelled fears in financial markets by keeping the economy stable and achieving a budget surplus. Helped by his high approval ratings, Lula got his hand-picked successor, former chief of staff Dilma Rousseff elected in 2010. Ms Rousseff won re-election four years later. Shortly after leaving office, Lula was diagnosed with throat cancer. He even shaved his trademark beard during treatment. Doctors declared him cured of the disease in 2012. A comeback? Many of his supporters have now called for his return. They see him as a viable candidate to run for the presidency in 2018, and Lula himself has not ruled it out. Brazil, though, is not the same. The economic bonanza of his years is gone, partially because of the end of the commodities cycle that had driven it. Image copyright AP Image caption Lula's hand-picked successor, his former chief of staff Dilma Rousseff, assumed office in 2011 The country is now in its worst recession in 25 years. Experts also blame Ms Rousseff's mismanagement for Brazil's recent financial troubles and her own popularity has hit record lows.

Add to that the multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at Petrobras. Senior businessmen and politicians, including big names from his Workers' Party, have either been arrested or are under investigation. Lula himself is suspected to have received illicit benefits from the kickback scheme and has been questioned by the police. He has repeatedly denied the accusations, and his supporters say he has been unfairly targeted. The investigation, called Car Wash, or Lava Jato, has been a blow to the Workers' Party image, analysts say. It remains to be seen what long-term impact it will have on Lula's. Geography of Brazil - 15 Important Facts to Know Geography of Brazil An Overview and Geography of Brazil Learn the 15 Most Important Facts About Brazil - South America's Largest Country The Brazil flag is green with a yellow diamond bearing a blue globe with 27 white stars (one for each state and the Federal District) in the pattern of the night sky over Brazil; a white band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress).

Source: CIA World Factbook, 2007 Official Name: Federative Republic of Brazil Important Cities: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador Area: 3,287,612 square miles (8,514,877 sq km) Coastline: 4,655 miles (7,491 km) Highest Point: Pico da Neblina 9,888 feet (3,014 m) Brazil is the largest country in South America and covers nearly half (47%) of the South American continent. It is currently the fifth largest economy in the world, is home to the Amazon Rainforest and is a popular location for tourism. Brazil is also rich in natural resources and active in world issues such as climate change , giving it significance on a worldwide scale. The following is a list of the fifteen most important things to know about Brazil: 1) Brazil was given to Portugal as part of the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 and the first person to officially claim Brazil for Portugal was Pedro Álvares Cabral .

2) The official language of Brazil is Portuguese; however, there are more than 180 native languages spoken in the country. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance It is also important to note that Brazil is the only country in South America whose dominant language and culture comes from Portugal. 3) The name Brazil comes from an Amerindian word Brasil, which describes a dark rosewood type common in the country. At a time, the wood was Brazil's main export and thus gave the country its name. Since 1968 however, the export of Brazilian rosewood has been banned. 4) Brazil has 13 cities with over one million residents. 5) Brazil's literacy rate is 86.4% which is the lowest of all South American countries. It falls just behind Bolivia and Peru at 87.2% and 87.7%, respectively. 6) Brazil is a diverse country with ethnic groups including: 54% European, 39% mixed European-African, 6% Africa, 1% other. 7) Today, Brazil has one of the largest economies in the Americas and is the largest in South America.

8) Brazil's most common agricultural exports today are coffee , soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus and beef. 9) Brazil has a plethora of natural resources which include: iron ore, tin, aluminum, gold, phosphate, platinum, uranium, manganese, copper and coal. 10) After the end of the Brazilian Empire in 1889, it was determined that the country would have a new capital and shortly thereafter, the site of present-day Brasilia was chosen in an effort to promote development there. Growth did not occur until 1956 and Brasilia did not officially replace Rio de Janeiro as Brazil's capital until 1960. 11) One of the most famous mountains in the world is the Corcovado located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known worldwide for its 98 foot (30 m) high statue of the city's emblem, Christ the Redeemer, which has been on its summit since 1931. 12) Brazil's climate is considered mainly tropical, but it is temperate in the south.

13) Brazil is considered one of the most biodiverse places in the world because its rainforests are home to more than 1,000 bird species, 3,000 fish species and many mammals and reptiles such as alligators, freshwater dolphins and manatees. 14) The rainforests in Brazil are being cut at a rate of up to four percent per year due to logging, ranching and slash and burn agriculture . Pollution of the Amazon River and its tributaries is also a threat to the rainforests. 15) The Rio Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous attractions in Brazil. It attracts thousands of tourists yearly, but it is also a tradition for Brazilians who often spend the year prior to the Carnaval preparing for it. To learn more about Brazil, read the Geography of Brazil on this site and to see photos of Brazil visit the Images of Brazil page on South America Travel at About.com. References Central Intelligence Agency . (2010, April 1). CIA - The World Factbook -- Brazil. Retrieved from: Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Brazil: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com.

Retrieved from: United States Department of State. (2010, February). Brazil (02/10). Retrieved from: Wikipedia. (2010, April 22). Brazil - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: BBC NEWS | Americas | Brazil re-elects President Lula Brazil re-elects President Lula President Lula was cheered by supporters after voting in Sao Paulo Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been re-elected in a clear victory, polling more than 60% of the vote against rival Geraldo Alckmin. In a victory speech, Lula said he would govern for all Brazilians and intensify efforts to alleviate poverty during his second four-year term. "We will give attention to the most needy. The poor will have preference in our government," he said. Lula narrowly failed to win in the first round, forcing Sunday's run-off. The people who were never taken care of now are being taken care of Lula supporter Send us your reaction In a speech in Sao Paulo, Lula promised to boost growth and reduce inequality to put Brazil on track to reach the ranks of developed nations.

"The foundation is in place, and now we have to get to work," he told crowds of supporters who had taken to the streets in celebration, waving Workers' Party flags. Supporter Danusia Alves said: "For me it is a great happiness because we have a wonderful government. The people who were never taken care of now are being taken care of." 'Resounding victory' Votes in Sunday's run-off were cast using electronic ballot boxes, allowing officials to deliver a swift result. Corruption scandals hampered President Lula's campaign A partial count showed the incumbent president had 60% of the vote - an insurmountable lead. Shortly after, the head of Brazil's electoral court declared Lula re-elected. The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Sao Paulo says it is a resounding victory for a man who was written off by many just over a year ago, when his Workers' Party was at the centre of a cash-for-votes scandal. But Lula weathered that storm and another during the first phase of this campaign when party colleagues were again accused of corruption, our correspondent says. Lula narrowly failed to win outright in the first round of voting on 1 October.

During the ensuing campaign the president suggested to voters that Mr Alckmin might scrap welfare benefits for the poor and privatise Brazil's remaining state companies. Privatisation is generally viewed with suspicion in Brazil. Despite repeated denials by Mr Alckmin, the accusation undoubtedly cost him votes, our correspondent adds.

Question: Lula da Silva was re-elected President of which South American country in 2006?
Answer: Brazil