The remarkable political life of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -

On December 10, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva underwent emergency surgery in a São Paulo hospital after suffering a brain bleed. Latest reports suggest the president is doing "well," but will remain under observation for the next few days.

The intracranial hemorrhage was caused by a blow to the head Lula sustained when he fell in his bathroom at the presidential residence in October, according to a hospital statement. While Lula is recovering, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin will take on some of the president's commitments.

Lula has enjoyed a long career in politics, beginning in 1980 when he cofounded the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), or Workers' Party. He was the 35th president of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, and won his third presidency in 2023. Along the way, he's survived a cancer scare and has spent time in jail after being convicted of corruption. It's a remarkable life to say the least, and Lula has on more than one occasion quipped that he has the "energy of a 30-year-old." So, what keeps him going?

Click through this gallery for an appreciation of Lula's colorful and controversial political career.

© Getty Images

Early political career -

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's political career effectively began on February 10, 1980, after he and a group of academics and union leaders founded the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), or Workers' Party, in São Paulo. He remains the PT's honorary president.

© Getty Images

Central Única dos Trabalhadores -

In 1983, the Brazilian trades union activist helped establish the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT) trade union association.

© Getty Images

Higher political aspirations -

But Lula was harboring greater political aspirations. He'd already run for office in 1982 for the state government of São Paulo, but garnered only 11% of the vote.

© Getty Images

Encouragement from Castro -

A crestfallen Lula sought solace by visiting Fidel Castro in Havana, who urged the union activist to continue with his ambition to enter politics.

© Getty Images

First presidential bid -

In the 1986 parliamentary elections, Lula won a seat in the National Congress with the most votes nationwide. Emboldened by his success, he ran for president as the PT candidate in 1989, but lost in the second round of voting. Lula decided not to run for reelection as a congressman in 1990.

© Getty Images

Second presidential bid -

Undeterred, Lula ran again for president in 1994. He's pictured with his second wife Marisa Letícia and supporters on the campaign trail. Despite his efforts, he captured only 27% of the vote.

© Getty Images

Third presidential bid -

Lula fared marginally better in his third presidential bid in 1998, winning 32% of the vote.

© Getty Images

Change of image -

In his 2002 presidential campaign, Lula smartened up his appearance. He abandoned his informal clothing style for more businesslike attire.

© Getty Images

Smart-dressed man -

Gone were the T-shirts and in came the suits. As the presidential candidate for PT, the once strident union organizer cut a more measured and refined figure on the platform.

© Getty Images

President of Brazil -

On October 27, 2002, Lula finally won the presidency. He defeated PSDB candidate José Serra in a runoff, to become Brazil's first leftist president.

© Getty Images

First day in office -

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in on January 1, 2003. He's pictured at his desk in the Presidential Palace the following day, on the first day on the job.

© Getty Images

A politician on the world stage -

Lula commemorated his first 100 days in office by boasting a strengthened economy and record approval ratings. He was regarded by many as Brazil's first working-class president. US President George W. Bush was one of the first overseas leaders to congratulate him.

© Getty Images

Lula wins a second term -

On October 29, 2006, Lula won a second four-year term in office, with 61% of the vote.

© Getty Images

Reinauguration ceremony -

The lavish reinauguration ceremony took place in Brasilia on January 1, 2007. The president and vice president, José Alencar Gomes, are seen acknowledging the crowds as they climb up the Palácio do Planalto ramp.

© Getty Images

New indigenous territories -

On April 19, 2007, Lula celebrated American Indian Day at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia by signing a decree creating six news indigenous territories.

© Getty Images

Second term highlights -

Among the highlights of Lula's second term in office was helping Rio de Janeiro win its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first Olympics to be held in South America. In 2010, he was voted number one on Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

© Getty Images

Controversial cabinet appointment -

Lula left office on January 1, 2011, with a 90% approval rating. Five years later, he accepted an offer to become chief of staff for his successor and protégé, Dilma Rousseff. However, his controversial cabinet appointment came in the wake of a massive corruption scandal and economic recession in Brazil.

© Getty Images

Operation Car Wash -

A judge from Brazil's Supreme Federal Court subsequently filed an injunction blocking Lula from becoming chief of staff to Rousseff. On September 14, 2016, prosecutors filed corruption charges against Lula and his wife Marisa Letícia. The charges stemmed from a money laundering investigation called Operation Car Wash. The authorities found that there was sufficient evidence for the couple, plus six others, to stand trial. On February 3, 2017, Marisa Letícia passed away.

© Getty Images

Charges of corruption -

On September 5, 2017, corruption charges were filed against Lula, his successor Dilma Rousseff, and six PT members. They were accused of running a criminal organization to divert funds from state-owned oil firm Petrobras. The charges related to Operation Car Wash. All denied the allegations.

© Getty Images

Lula is jailed -

Lula was eventually found guilty of the corruption charges leveled against him and on January 25, 2018, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He turned himself in on April 7, 2018, to begin his sentence.

© Getty Images

Fight for freedom -

Supporters of the former president took to the streets in São Paulo to protest his incarceration and demand his release.

© Getty Images

Release from prison -

Lula spent a year and a half behind bars. He was released on November 8, 2019.

© Getty Images

Running for president, again -

On March 8, 2021, a Brazilian court threw out Lula's corruption convictions. This allowed him to run in the 2022 presidential election.

© Getty Images

A bitterly divisive campaign -

The 2022 Brazilian presidential campaign pitted Lula against the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who was seeking a second term.

© Getty Images

Neck and neck -

It was a bitterly divisive battle, with neither candidate surpassing the 50% needed to be elected in the first round.

© Getty Images

Lula wins a third term -

A runoff held on October 30 saw Lula beat his opponent to become the first president of Brazil elected to three terms, and the first to unseat an incumbent president.

© Getty Images

Historic victory -

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in on January 1, 2023. By now he had remarried, to Rosângela. The couple are seen with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin as they head towards the National Congress for the presidential inauguration in Brasilia.

© Getty Images

Back on the world stage -

Lula met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 14, 2023. He cosigned 15 memoranda of understanding and 20 agreements on a wide range of issues.

© Getty Images

BRICS Summit -

On August 23, 2023, Lula joined Xi Jinping, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

© Getty Images

"The planet is burning" -

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai in December 2023, Lula reiterated his country's commitment to protecting the environment. "The planet is burning," he said. "We are seeing the devastating effects of climate change all around us."

© Getty Images

Meeting Indigenous leaders and the French president -

On March 26, 2024, the Brazilian president met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and Indigenous leaders at Combu Island in Belém, Brazil. While there, Macron awarded Lula with the National Order of the Legion of Honor.

© NL Beeld

Heading the G20 -

Lula currently holds the presidency of the G20 and in November 2024 hosted the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the first summit to be held in Brazil.

© Getty Images

The Mercosur Leaders Summit -

The Mercosur Leaders Summit in December 2024 brought together Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and various South American leaders in Montevideo, Uruguay, for trade talks. Mercosur is the Southern Common Market trade bloc.

© Getty Images

Old friends -

While in Montevideo, Lula met with his old friend José Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, to present him with Brazil's National Order of the Southern Cross.

© Getty Images

Hospitalized but doing "well" -

Shorty after returning to Brazil, Lula started complaining of a severe headache. He was admitted to the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in São Paulo on December 10, where he underwent emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage. The president is said to be doing "well" according to his surgeons.

Sources: (BBC) (CNN) (Britannica) (The Guardian) (FairPlanet) 

See also: Facts about Brazil you had no clue of

© Getty Images