If you’re looking for a quick answer, the name is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Most people just call him "Lula." He’s currently the 39th President of Brazil, and honestly, his comeback story is basically something out of a political thriller movie.
It’s January 2026, and as we sit here today, Lula is firmly in the driver's seat at the Palácio do Planalto. But if you think his presidency is just business as usual, you haven't been paying attention to the chaos of the last few years.
Brazil is a complicated place.
Lula isn't new to this. He was the president way back from 2003 to 2011. Then things got messy. There were corruption scandals, a stint in prison, and a complete upheaval of the Brazilian political landscape. He returned to power on January 1, 2023, after beating the incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, in an election that was so close it basically split the country in half.
Who is the current president in Brazil and why does it matter?
When people ask who is the current president in Brazil, they’re usually trying to figure out if the country is stable. Right now, Lula is steering a ship that is trying to find its balance between massive environmental goals and a hungry global market for minerals.
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Lula is a former metalworker. He lost a pinky finger in a factory accident decades ago. That’s the kind of "man of the people" image he’s traded on for forty years. But today, at 80 years old, he’s dealing with a very different world than the one he governed in the early 2000s.
He’s currently focused on a few massive things:
- The EU-Mercosur Trade Deal: Just yesterday, on January 16, 2026, he was in Rio meeting with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. They’re finally trying to close a trade deal that has been "in the works" for 25 years.
- Environmental Leadership: Brazil hosted COP30 recently, and Lula has been pushing a "new Amazon dream." Basically, he wants to prove you can protect the rainforest and still grow the economy.
- Global Diplomacy: He’s been chatting with everyone from Vladimir Putin to Canada’s Mark Carney this month alone. He wants Brazil to be the "adult in the room" on the global stage.
The Elephant in the Room: The 2026 Election
Here is the thing most people get wrong: they think Lula is just a placeholder.
Actually, he just announced in late 2025 that he’s running for a fourth term. Even though he’s turning 81 soon, he told reporters in Indonesia recently that he has the energy of a 30-year-old. Whether the Brazilian public agrees is a different story. The country remains deeply polarized. Half the people love him; the other half... not so much.
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The opposition is in a weird spot. Jair Bolsonaro, the former president, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in a coup plot. Because of that, he’s ineligible to run. So, the right wing is currently scrambling. Right now, it looks like Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Jair's son) is the one stepping up to challenge Lula in the October 2026 elections.
Navigating Brazil's Political Reality
If you're trying to understand the current vibe in Brasilia, you have to look at the economy. Brazil has a ton of lithium and copper. As the world goes green, everyone wants a piece of that.
Lula has been surprisingly savvy about this. He’s managed to dodge some of the massive tariff threats coming from the US while keeping doors open with China. It’s a delicate dance. He’s basically trying to keep Brazil "neutral" while everyone else is picking sides.
But it isn't all sunshine.
The "Centrão"—that’s the big group of centrist parties in the Brazilian Congress—basically holds the keys to the kingdom. They aren't loyal to Lula. They’re loyal to whoever gives them the best deals for their home regions. This means Lula has to spend a lot of time horse-trading just to get simple laws passed.
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What to watch for in 2026
Since this is an election year, things are going to get loud.
- October 4, 2026: This is the first round of the presidential election. If nobody gets more than 50% of the vote, we go to a runoff on October 25.
- Disinformation: There’s already a lot of talk about "fake news" and attacks on the electronic voting system. It’s a carry-over from the 2022 election drama.
- The Economy: If inflation stays low and the trade deals start paying off, Lula is the favorite. If things stall, the door opens for the opposition.
Real-world impact for you
If you're an investor or just someone interested in global news, who is the current president in Brazil matters because of the country's massive influence on climate change and food prices. Brazil is one of the world's biggest exporters of beef and soy. When Lula changes a policy, the price of your groceries might actually move.
Honestly, the next twelve months are going to be a rollercoaster. Lula is betting his entire legacy on this fourth run. He wants to be remembered as the guy who saved Brazilian democracy. His critics see him as a relic of the past who is holding the country back.
To stay updated on the situation as the 2026 election approaches, keep a close eye on the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) announcements starting in April, as that's when official candidacies must be registered. Monitoring the progress of the EU-Mercosur agreement will also give you a clear sign of whether Lula's "diplomacy-first" strategy is actually delivering the economic wins he needs to secure a fourth term.