Rising inflation, a falling approval rating and a sharply divided country had put Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the cusp of the most difficult chapter of his long years in office even before he underwent emergency brain surgery.
Now, the operation raises difficult questions about whether the 79-year-old leftist leader is fit to meet the challenges that are piling up in front of him.
Much as with Joe Biden in the U.S., the episode is bound to bring discussions about Lula’s age and fitness to the forefront of Brazil’s political conversation, especially as attention turns to whether he intends to seek a fourth term in 2026. The question is whether he draws the same conclusion and passes on the baton or waits for the storm to pass.
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