Brazil's Lula hints at 2026 re-election bid
"Get ready. If everything goes the way I am thinking, this country will, for the first time, have a president elected four times by the Brazilian people," Lula told an event in Rio de Janeiro.
The 79-year-old leftist leader was elected in 2022 for his third non-consecutive term, having previously served as president between 2003 and 2010.
His remarks come as he faces a popularity crisis, with his approval ratings hovering around historic lows amid high inflation in Latin America's largest economy, and tensions with Congress, where he lacks a solid coalition.
Lula is Brazil's oldest sitting president ever and has had some health scares, including a pair of emergency surgeries last year to treat and prevent bleeding in his head.
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