The president confirmed that he will contest another presidential election in 2026 during a speech held in Jakarta, where he has been since Wednesday (22) to carry out an official state visit in return for the trip of the country’s president, Prabowo Subianto, to Brazil, in July.
“I’m going to run for a fourth term in Brazil. So, I’m telling you that we’re still going to meet many times. This term of mine only ends in 2026, at the end of the year. But I’m prepared to run for others,” President Lula told leader Subianto.
The PT member had already indicated that he would participate in another election if he did not have health problems. In 2022, before being elected to his third term, the president even said that he was not thinking about re-election in 2026.
“In four years, we will have new people contesting the elections. I want to leave the country prepared,” he said. “I’m not going to be the president of the Republic who’s thinking about his re-election. I’m going to be the president who’s going to be thinking about governing this country for four years and leaving it clinking, clinking.”
Later he repeated: “I’m only four years old, I’m only four years old.” At another point he talked about handing over the mandate in 2026 to someone else as president.
“I dream every day. When December 31, 2026 arrives, when we hand over this mandate to someone else, this country will be fine,” he stated.
The promise to seek re-election comes at a time when he is faced with a lack of personnel to compete in a presidential election.
Lula is on a trip that will include, in addition to Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to participate in the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in Portuguese) summit.
On the occasion of the trip, Lula will also meet with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, on Sunday (26), his main agenda on the tour of the countries.
It is expected that the meeting between Brazilian and American leaders will discuss the tariffs imposed by Trump on the country, especially some of the main products affected by the tariffs, such as meat, coffee and steel, as well as measures against Brazilian authorities, such as the application of the Magnitsky Law against Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court).
Topics such as the recent American attacks on Venezuelan vessels and the risk of a US military incursion into the South American country, which, in the government’s view, could cause instability in the region, should also be on the agenda.
The official presidential delegation includes ministers Mauro Vieira (Foreign Affairs), Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture and Livestock), Alexandre Silveira (Mines and Energy) and Luciana Santos (Science, Technology and Innovation); the president of the Central Bank, Gabriel Galípolo, and the general director of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues.
