Lula Admits Mistake in Announcing Re-Election Candidacy During Indonesia Trip

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated on Monday (27) that he made a ‘mistake’ in Indonesia by confirming his candidacy for re-election in 2026. The announcement took place last week during a speech alongside the Indonesian leader, Prabowo Subianto. Up until then, Lula had kept his re-election candidacy conditional on his health permitting him to run for another term. However, during the event, he confirmed that he will run for a fourth term. ‘Actually, I should not have said in Indonesia that I was a candidate. It should be announced in Brazil. It was possibly a slip on my part. I have no votes there. It was a mistake,’ he said in an earlier press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he also discussed his meeting the day before with US President Donald Trump.