Brazilian President Lula da Silva celebrates his 79th birthday

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva celebrates his 79th birthday. Having started his career at an early age, Lula da Silva contributed to the founding of the Workers' Party (PT) in 1980. He is currently serving his third term in office, making him the country's 39th president.

Political history

Lula was elected president for the first time on 27 October 2002, at the age of 57, with almost 53 million votes. Between 2003 and 2011, he served his second term as chief executive. On 1 January 2023, after winning the elections with 50.90 per cent of the vote, he took office for a third term. With this, Lula became the politician with the highest number of direct votes in the history of the Republic, as announced by the Brazilian Senate.

Participation in BRICS and promotion of the Global South

In its current mandate, the Federal Government has raised relevant issues at BRICS meetings, addressing, for example, the energy transition by expanding investments in biofuels, green hydrogen, as well as solar and wind energy. The president is also promoting initiatives to combat hunger and poverty, as well as the development of payment alternatives between BRICS countries, with the aim of expanding the use of national currencies in transactions between member countries and increasing the influence of the Global South on the international stage, according to Brasil 247, a partner of TV BRICS.

The BRICS Summit was held in Kazan between 22 and 24 October, and the president took part via videoconference. During the meeting, issues of global relevance were discussed, including the advancement and expansion of the association between the member states.