Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged more direct contact with Brazilians online as he cast his Oct. 25 reelection as part of a wider pattern of electoral setbacks for leaders in Israel and the United States.
Lula spoke Thursday during a YouTube livestream with congressman André Janones. He called his win “a lesson for the world” and said he was more afraid than during his first term. “I have to do better,” Lula said. MercoPress estimated that about 600,000 viewers watched the 90-minute broadcast.
On Tuesday, Democrats regained control in both houses of the U.S. Congress, a result Lula cast as evidence that President Donald Trump was losing ground. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party finished first in the Oct. 27 election, but his bloc's 53 seats out of 120 left it short of a parliamentary majority. Netanyahu alleged fraud.
Lula said he plans to use social media more often to address the public directly. He also addressed the university entrance exam's importance and said he would explore how citizens could shape government decisions. He defended sovereign exploitation of critical minerals and called for an end to online betting.
The itinerary for Lula's first official trip since reelection includes COP31, the U.N. climate summit in Turkey, and a summit in Manila with Southeast Asian countries. He invited Janones to join him next week. Lula is due to begin his fourth presidential term Jan. 5, 2027, under Article 82 of Brazil's Constitution.
