Brazilian Presidential Election of 2002
Lula won 61 percent on his fourth attempt, the first worker to reach Brazil's presidency.
Overview
On October 27, 2002, Lula, the metalworker and PT founder defeated in 1989, 1994, and 1998, finally won, taking 61.3 percent of the runoff against the government's Jose Serra. Having moderated his program with the letter to the Brazilians to calm markets, Lula combined social programs like Bolsa Familia with fiscal orthodoxy, presiding over growth and 80 percent approval at term's height. His election signaled Latin America's pink tide and proved the region's democracies could elect leftists who governed within institutional bounds.
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