Fresh off shock reelection, Brazil President Lula to join ASEAN Summit in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to the Philippines to attend the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, just over two weeks after winning an unprecedented fourth term.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Lula’s attendance on Friday, November 6, noting he was invited as a guest of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“Brazil was invited as Guest of the Chair,” said ASEAN spokesperson Dax Imperial. 

Lula will join other global leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the main summit from November 15 to 18. 

Prior to arriving in the Philippines on November 13, Lula is expected to be in Antalya, Turkey, for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) from November 11 to 12. 

Just a few weeks ago, the 81-year-old Lula pulled off a shock election victory over Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula, an icon of the global left and the most dominant force in Brazilian politics this century, won a historic fourth term in a stunning October 25 result that defied polls and marked another comeback in his career.

Last August, DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro met with Lula to reinforce bilateral ties as the Philippines and Brazil celebrated their 80th diplomatic anniversary.

Lula, who was president between 2003 and 2011, campaigned on a potent mix of pragmatism and populism that has shaped his career in national politics for half a century.

He was jailed from 2018 to 2019 on corruption charges that were later overturned, paving the way for him to beat Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 election.

Lula’s fourth term, though, could be his most difficult yet, after Brazil elected its most conservative Congress since returning to democracy in the 1980s. – with a report from Reuters/Rappler.com