Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Thursday, October 23, 2025, that he will run for reelection next year and seek a fourth nonconsecutive term.
Lula made the announcement while on an official visit to Indonesia, where he met with President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta. He told reporters he still had the energy to campaign again, even as he approached his 80th birthday. After leaving Indonesia, he was due to travel to Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
The announcement confirms what had been building for months inside Brazilian politics. Lula returned to office in 2023 after 13 years away and remains eligible to run again because Brazil's constitution bars only more than two consecutive terms, not a later return after a break. Before defeating Jair Bolsonaro in 2022, Lula had said that race would be his last. He later began leaving the door open to another campaign, including comments in February 2023 that he could seek reelection in 2026 depending on the country's political climate and his health.
Age and health will likely remain part of the campaign conversation. Lula is a dominant figure on Brazil's left and the country's longest-serving president since democracy returned 40 years ago, but some politicians have raised concerns about his age and recent health issues. He underwent emergency surgery late last year after a fall in the bathroom that caused a brain bleed. Lula has repeatedly insisted he remains fit and energetic and often posts workout videos on social media.
The AP report said Lula was leading all polls for the 2026 election, though roughly half of voters disapprove of him. His main political rival, Jair Bolsonaro, has been barred from running for office and has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup. That leaves the opposition still searching for a clear alternative, with analysts saying any viable contender is likely to depend on Bolsonaro's backing while he remains under house arrest.
The reelection announcement also lands amid trade tensions with the United States. The AP reported that Brazilian media expected Lula to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Malaysia, following a conciliatory phone call earlier in the month. The two leaders were expected to discuss the 50% tariff Trump imposed on Brazil, a dispute that has become a political and economic issue inside Lula's presidency.
Lula's decision gives his government a clearer political horizon, but it also guarantees that the next campaign will revolve around the same figures who have shaped Brazilian politics for years: Lula, Bolsonaro, and the arguments over stability, growth and political renewal that divide the electorate.
