Economist Urges Lula to Forgo 2026 Run as PT Pushes Back and FT Names Him Favorite

Overview

• The Economist’s editorial argues Lula, 80, should not seek re‑election, citing age‑related risks, a Biden comparison, and his December 2024 neurological surgery after a fall.
• Gleisi Hoffmann, Edinho Silva, and Senator Humberto Costa rejected the piece as politically driven, describing Lula as vigorous and pointing to improved jobs, income, and growth.
• The Financial Times’ 2026 outlook lists Lula as the favorite barring a health shock, crediting solid economic indicators and right‑wing own goals including fallout from the U.S. tariff dispute.
• The editorial labels Flávio Bolsonaro “impopular and ineffective” and urges São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas to run, though Tarcísio has said he will not and has endorsed Flávio.
• The Economist criticizes Lula’s economic approach as mediocre and transfer‑heavy, notes a lack of center‑left successors, and portrays the opposition as fragmented after Jair Bolsonaro’s imprisonment.