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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: Shirtless and drenched in sweat on his treadmill, Lula runs.<\/p>\n
He keeps running.<\/p>\n
At 80, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the dominant figure in Brazilian politics for four decades, wants to show he still has the energy to win a fourth term in office in October\u2019s election.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t stop the Earth from turning or the years from passing,\u201d Lula muses in his gravely voice in one of the social media videos he shares showcasing his workouts.<\/p>\n
The leftist leader has survived electoral defeats, 580 days in prison, and the disgrace of a corruption conviction which, although later annulled, still prompts taunts from the right of \u201cLula the thief.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has also survived health scares, notably a fall in his bathroom in 2024 that caused a brain bleed.<\/p>\n
Since then, he often wears a Panama hat. His once thick black hair has greyed and thinned, much like his trademark beard.<\/p>\n
But he insists he feels fitter than ever and he dreams of \u201cliving to 120.\u201d<\/p>\n
LONG SHADOW OF CORRUPTION<\/strong><\/p>\n Lula grew up in deep poverty, the seventh of eight children born to a family of illiterate farmers in the arid northeastern state of Pernambuco.<\/p>\n He worked as a shoeshine boy and peanut vendor before becoming a metalworker and trade unionist. In the 1960s, he lost a finger in a workplace accident.<\/p>\n After losing three presidential bids, Lula finally entered the presidential palace in Brasilia in 2003 and was re-elected in 2006.<\/p>\n He left office in 2010 as a blue-collar hero who presided over a commodity-based economic boom that helped lift 30 million people out of poverty.<\/p>\n But massive corruption scandals haunted Lula and his party, fueling a wave of disgust that propelled far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro into the presidency in 2018.<\/p>\n Lula was jailed later that year until the charges were thrown out on procedural grounds and the lead judge on the case was found to be biased.<\/p>\n However, Lula was not exonerated and the scandal contributed to an enduring polarization in Brazil.<\/p>\n Bolsonaro\u2019s presidency was equally divisive, and by the 2022 election, Lula pulled off a dramatic comeback by a razor-thin margin.<\/p>\n Bolsonaro was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup by trying to prevent Lula from returning to power.<\/p>\n LAST-DITCH MEASURES<\/strong><\/p>\n Back in office, Lula at first seemed out of step with a Brazil he appeared to be rediscovering.<\/p>\n He lives without a cellphone in a hyper-connected nation of 213 million people that is flooded with disinformation.<\/p>\n Lula is credited with restoring social programs dismantled by his predecessor, curbing the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and putting Brazil\u2019s democracy back on a more secure footing.<\/p>\n His third term, however, has had the feel of a pale remake, with few genuinely new ideas. The father of five still triggers fierce rejection among voters frustrated by inflation, crime and corruption.<\/p>\n In the final days of the campaign he announced an increase to the Bolsa Familia social welfare benefits which, launched 20 years ago, remains his most significant legacy.<\/p>\n He recently said he did not want to be \u201cjust the Bolsa Familia president.\u201d<\/p>\n In a tight race with right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, he drew criticism for a flurry of measures announced before the vote, such as free GLP-1 weight-loss drugs under public health care, or banning the billion-dollar sports betting industry.<\/p>\n A \u2018CAMPAIGN BEST\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2022, Lula said he would not seek another term in office.<\/p>\n So why take on the eldest son of his greatest political rival?<\/p>\n Lula, who has not cultivated a potential successor, says he wants to stop the far right from returning to \u201cdestroy\u201d the country.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in great shape,\u201d an anonymous foreign diplomat told AFP, describing Lula as a \u201ccampaign beast.\u201d<\/p>\n His tireless travel schedule and quick wit testify to his stamina \u2014 and he also credits his third wife Rosangela da Silva, 60, with keeping him young.<\/p>\n Flavio Bolsonaro is less complimentary: \u201cThe Brazilian Biden is grumpy, irresponsible, and has become a danger to our nation. When you look at Lula, you don\u2019t see a future.\u201d<\/p>\n If he loses the election, Lula would leave office without the triumphant finale he seeks, but with an enduring legacy.<\/p>\n As he reminded foreign media, including AFP, in a 2024 interview: \u201cThere is no one in this country with more experience as president than me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n