PT Rebukes The Economist as Financial Times Tips Lula the 2026 Favorite

Overview

• The Economist urged Lula not to seek re‑election, citing his age, comparing him to Joe Biden, referencing his December 2024 brain surgery, and labeling his economic agenda “mediocre.”
• PT leaders Gleisi Hoffmann and Edinho Silva rejected the editorial as biased, stressing Lula’s vitality and pointing to jobs and income gains under his government.
• The Financial Times listed Lula’s re‑election as likely, arguing he benefits from solid economic indicators and right‑wing missteps, including backlash to calls for U.S. sanctions on Brazil.
• The Economist called Senator Flávio Bolsonaro “impopular and ineffective” and floated São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas as a stronger right‑wing option, though Tarcísio has said he will not run and has backed Flávio.
• Polling snapshots cited in coverage show mixed public sentiment on a new Lula bid, yet international analyses still place him as the frontrunner without a unified challenger on the right.