Lula’s age could repeat Biden’s scenario in Brazil, experts say

The discussion about age and the president’s ability Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), 78 years old, to govern the country again for another 4 years has arrived in Brazil. The question arises about the PT member’s vitality, whether he will have the physical and cognitive capacity to contest the election in 2026. The comparison is made in relation to the President of the United States, Joe Biden (Democratic Party), 81 years old, since the PT member will be the same age as the American 2 days after the 2nd round of the elections, on October 27, 2026.

Experts believe that the PT member’s physical and mental condition should be taken into account before launching his candidacy in the 2026 elections. Despite some of Lula’s mistakes, the issue is not so visible to the electorate, since, whenever the head of the Executive has a gap, he mentions positive aspects of his health and tries to demonstrate more vitality.

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In an interview with Poder360political scientist and president of the Democracy Monitor Institute, Márcio Coimbra, believes that the age comparison between the two leaders makes sense, despite the fact that the PT member does not show the same signs of weakness due to his age that Biden does: “Nada prevents him from [Lula] weakens over the years, so this is a cause for concern”.

Whenever he has the opportunity, Lula talks about the positive aspects of his health and tries to demonstrate vigor. He often says that he gets up at 5:30 a.m. and exercises almost every day. According to Coimbra, this is an attempt by the PT member to show that he is in good health. “good mental functions” It is like “body up to date”because, after all, “this is a condition for the position [de presidente]”.

Furthermore, Coimbra states that the age issue must also be taken into consideration by the PT. Lula’s party was not prepared for a succession within its own party, so this could be destabilizing for the presidential campaign in 2026.

In 2018, the PT tried to put forward the name of Finance Minister Fernando Haddad as his successor, but without success.

Despite this, Coimbra also assesses that it is “early” to know if the opposition will use the argument of advanced age against Lula, but it could be a key point depending on who will be the Chief Executive’s competitor.

In his 4th year in office, Biden is the oldest president in the country’s history. If he maintains his candidacy in the 2024 elections and is reelected, the Democrat will be 86 years old at the end of his 2nd term. Like the American, Lula is the oldest president of Brazil, having taken office at the age of 77.

The discussion about possible difficulties that Biden would be having because of his advanced age is not new in the US, but the performance considered disastrous in the 1st presidential debate against former President Donald Trump (Republican Party), promoted by CNN On June 28, pressure mounted for him to give up his re-election bid.

For political scientist João Felipe Marques from UFPE (Federal University of Pernambuco), in Lula’s case, the issue of “senility” like Biden’s is not so visible to a significant part of the electorate, since the PT member frequently states that, despite his 78 years, he has “30 year old energy and 20 year old lust”.

However, the Brazilian president has already made some mistakes, such as when, on March 26, 2024, he changed the name of the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, to that of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012), during Macron’s visit to Brazil.

In a speech in Rio, he almost changed the name of the current mayor, Eduardo Paes (PSD), by former Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral (MDB), on February 7.

“Although there are episodes of senility, the Brazilian president seems fit to run for election and to engage in political action. It is important to remember that, as terms last four years, new issues related to physical condition may arise, requiring a rational analysis by party leaders.”says Marques.

Also considering the absence of the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is ineligible for 8 years, in the 2026 election, the age issue may be an argument used by the opposition to the PT candidate. The president himself listed 4 possible names from the Bolsonarists who may compete for the Planalto Palace in 2 years:

* This report was produced by journalism intern Evellyn Paola under the supervision of Editorial Secretary Brunno Kono.