Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, incumbent president of Brazil and presidential candidate for Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) waves a Brazil flag during a rally ahead of the presidential runoff at Avenida Paulista on October 24, 2026 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

Image source, Getty Images
ByIone Wells
  • Published2 hours ago

"Brazil will not accept being anyone's backyard," Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared in his election victory speech, a message squarely aimed at Washington.

Domestic elections are rarely won on foreign policy, and this one was no different. But Lula's defiance against what he has described as US interference in Brazilian affairs evoked a patriotic spirit that proved an effective campaigning tool.

It also chimed with his wider brand of politics as a former union leader: standing up to powerful figures.