{"id":8247,"date":"2026-08-03T00:36:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T00:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/03\/brazils-lula-launches-fourth-term-bid-focuses-on-national-sovereignty\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T00:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T00:36:47","slug":"brazils-lula-launches-fourth-term-bid-focuses-on-national-sovereignty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/03\/brazils-lula-launches-fourth-term-bid-focuses-on-national-sovereignty\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazil\u2019s Lula launches fourth-term bid, focuses on national sovereignty"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><em>Lula has sought to use the Bolsonaro family\u2019s relationship with Trump to cast the election as a choice between national independence and submission to foreign interests.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has formally launched his campaign for a fourth term.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, Workers\u2019 Party supporters filled a Sao Paulo convention centre with red flags and chants of \u201cLula\u201d as the 80-year-old politician \u2013 who returned to power in 2023 after serving two previous terms from 2003 to 2010 \u2013 announced that he was running for the presidency for a seventh time.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/17\/dont-meddle-lula-calls-on-trump-to-stay-out-of-brazils-elections\">\u2018Don\u2019t meddle\u2019: Lula calls on Trump to stay out of Brazil\u2019s elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/6\/flavio-bolsonaro-asks-trump-to-delay-tariffs-on-brazil-until-after-election\">Flavio Bolsonaro asks Trump to delay tariffs on Brazil until after election<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/10\/under-lula-amazon-deforestation-falls-to-lowest-level-in-a-decade\">Under Lula, Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level in a decade<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/14\/brazil-court-bars-bolsonaros-son-from-visiting-ex-president-for-90-days\">Brazil court bars Bolsonaro\u2019s son from visiting ex-president for 90 days<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>He told supporters that, should he win the October election, it would be his final term.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4824767\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4824767\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFP__20260802__C3TA87P__v1__HighRes__BrazilElectionConventionCandidate-1785710583.jpg?resize=770%2C434&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the Workers' Party (PT) national convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 2, 2026, where he formally announces his bid for re-election. At 80, President Lula on July 2 launches his bid for re-election, casting himself as a defender of Brazil's \"sovereignty\" as pressure from President Donald Trump's administration casts a shadow over the campaign. (Photo by Miguel SCHINCARIOL \/ AFP)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4824767\">Lula speaks during the Workers\u2019 Party national convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 2, 2026 [Miguel Schincariol\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rather than focusing on his domestic record, Lula\u2019s speech highlighted Brazil\u2019s place in an increasingly unstable world. He called for more defence spending and promised to protect Brazil\u2019s reserves of rare earths and other critical minerals from foreign control.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to be prepared, so that no one invades this country,\u201d Lula said.<\/p>\n<p>He also warned that China, the United States and France would not be allowed access to Brazil\u2019s mineral wealth without respecting the country\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"trump-s-shadow-looms-over-the-election\">Trump\u2019s shadow looms over the election<\/h2>\n<p>Lula\u2019s message reflects growing tensions between Brasilia and Washington. The United States imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazilian goods in July, citing unfair trade practices, an accusation rejected by the Brazilian government.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has also maintained close ties with the family of Lula\u2019s main challenger, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Brazil, we do not accept anyone sticking their nose where it does not belong,\u201d Lula told the convention.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4824778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4824778\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFP__20251026__8229967__v2__HighRes__MalaysiaAseanUsBrazilDiplomacy-1785710881.jpg?resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (R) talks to US President Donald Trump during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) looks on. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS \/ AFP)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4824778\">Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva talks to US President Donald Trump [Andrew Caballero-Reynolds\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, emerged as the right\u2019s leading candidate after his father was convicted of plotting to overturn the 2022 election result and prevent Lula from taking office.<\/p>\n<p>Lula has sought to use the Bolsonaro family\u2019s relationship with Trump to cast the election as a choice between national independence and submission to foreign interests. He has described Flavio Bolsonaro as a \u201ctraitor to the nation\u201d, an accusation the senator denies.<\/p>\n<p>Leonardo Paz, a political science professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, told the AFP news agency that the sovereignty argument had arrived at a useful moment for the president.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sovereignty message comes at the perfect time for Lula,\u201d Paz said, adding that it allowed him to identify an external enemy and blame it for some of Brazil\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n<p>A recent Datafolha survey placed Lula ahead in a possible second-round contest against Flavio Bolsonaro, 48 percent to 43 percent, respectively. The margin remains narrow in a country deeply divided between supporters of the left-wing president and the Bolsonaro movement.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"domestic-pressures-remain\">Domestic pressures remain<\/h2>\n<p>Lula can point to economic growth, high employment and social programmes that supporters say have improved the lives of poorer Brazilians. At the convention, social worker Cristiane Rosa Julho told AFP that Lula\u2019s policies had enabled her family to own a home for the first time in generations.<\/p>\n<p>However, rising living costs and concerns over the public deficit remain significant weaknesses for the government.<\/p>\n<p>Crime is also expected to be a major election issue, particularly in communities where organised criminal groups exercise considerable control.<\/p>\n<p>Corruption investigations, meanwhile, have reached both camps: Flavio Bolsonaro is under scrutiny over alleged efforts to secure funding from a banker accused of financial fraud, while one of Lula\u2019s sons is being investigated over suspected corruption and influence peddling.<\/p>\n<p>Lula also addressed concerns over whether his advanced age could limit his ability to serve another term. He told supporters that regular walking and strength training had left him \u201cin great shape\u201d and fitter than when he first won the presidency in 2002.<\/p>\n<p>For Lula, experience is likely to be one of the campaign\u2019s central arguments. His opponents, however, will seek to make the election a judgement on the cost of living, public security and the political controversies surrounding his government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lula has sought to use the Bolsonaro family\u2019s relationship with Trump to cast the election as a choice between national independence and submission to foreign interests. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has formally launched his campaign for a fourth term. On Sunday, Workers\u2019 Party supporters filled a Sao Paulo convention centre with red &#8230; <a title=\"Brazil\u2019s Lula launches fourth-term bid, focuses on national sovereignty\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/03\/brazils-lula-launches-fourth-term-bid-focuses-on-national-sovereignty\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Brazil\u2019s Lula launches fourth-term bid, focuses on national sovereignty\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}