The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, admitted on Thursday the possibility of seeking re-election in 2026, when he will be 81 years old, if he is in good health, after saying during the electoral campaign that he would only exercise a four-year term.
“If the time comes and we are in a delicate situation and I am in good health, I can (dispute the re-election),” said the progressive leader in an interview he gave to RedeTV television, which will be broadcast in its entirety on Thursday night and of which some advances were offered on social networks.
The head of state clarified that initially he intends to fulfill his purpose of only exercising the mandate for which he was elected until 2026 but that, depending on the conditions, he would aspire to another four-year term, until 2030, when he will be 85 years old.
50 years of political life
“If I could tell you now, I would tell you: ‘I will not be a candidate in 2026.’ I will be 81 years old. I need to take advantage of my life a little because I have 50 years of political life. That is what I would tell you now,” said the president, who took up his third term on January 1.
He clarified that, in case the country is in a delicate situation, he can try for re-election depending on his health, because “I can only be a candidate if I am in perfect health at 81 years old and with energy of 40 and desire of 30” .
His statements contradict those he made during the entire electoral campaign last year, in which he insisted that, due to his age, all Brazilians know that he only aspires to one term and that no one can claim to be re-elected at 81 years of age.
“If they elect me, I will be president for a single term,” he said in a debate.
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