President LULA

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈiz iˈnasju ˈlulɐ da ˈsiwvɐ] audio (help·info); born 27 October 1945, but registered with a date of birth of 6 October 1945), known popularly as Lula, was the 35th President of Brazil.

A founding member of the Workers' Party (PT – Partido dos Trabalhadores), he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as President on 1 January 2003. In the 2006 election he was re-elected for a second term as President, which ended on 1 January 2011. He was succeeded by his former Chief of Staff, Dilma Rousseff.

He is often regarded as the most popular politician in the history of Brazil and, at the time of his mandate, one of the most popular in the world. Social programs like Bolsa Família and Fome Zero are hallmarks of his time in office. Lula played a prominent role in recent international relations developments, including the Nuclear program of Iran and global warming, and was described as "a man with audacious ambitions to alter the balance of power among nations." He was featured in Time's The 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2010.