, Columnist
Lula’s 79th Birthday Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Brazilian Politics
The Brazilian president’s age is a looming factor in the country’s political outlook. He would do well to start signaling a successor.
That 80s show.
Photographer: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva turned 79 last weekend — a good reason for him to celebrate, but also to start thinking hard about his succession plans.
By the next presidential election in October 2026, in which Lula has signaled his possible participation, the former union leader who will have governed Brazil three times would be about to turn 81. If he were to win, Lula would be 85 when his new four-year mandate ends on the last day of 2030, making him the all-time Methuselah of Brazilian presidents.