About Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: ; born 27 October 1945), known commonly by the nickname Lula, is the thirty-fifth and current President of Brazil. As a founding member of the Workers' Party. Having run for President three times unsuccessfully, first in 1989 election, Lula achieved victory in 2002, and was inaugurated as President on 1 January 2003. In the 2006 election he was re-elected, extending his term as President until 1 January 2011.