Lee congratulates Lula on his reelection as president

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a metalworker without a university degree, has been re-elected as Brazil's president for the fourth time, defying the historical precedent that no candidate trailing after the first round had ever won the second round since 1989. Born in Garanhuns in 1945, Lula was seven when his family moved to São Paulo and 14 when he began a technical course in metalworking.

As a metalworker, he faced a workplace accident that cost him a finger, giving rise to his nickname "nine fingers" among opponents. During the military dictatorship, Lula organized metalworkers' strikes, which led to the founding of the Workers' Party (PT) in 1980. He became the party's leading figure and later served as Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010, making history as the first trade union leader and manual worker to do so.

Lula's political legacy is marked by Brazil's transformation into a more prosperous and equal nation through social policies like the Bolsa Família and Zero Hunger programmes. Despite facing corruption scandals and trials, Lula remains a defender of multilateralism and international diplomacy, emphasizing the importance of reconciling national interests with global well-being.