Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Fast Facts
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Born June 27th 1969), a Brazilian politician who has been acting as the acting President of Brazil since February 2011 and will be in office until at least 2016. He was the candidate of the Workers’ Party Brazil for the presidency in the 2011 election. He is currently serving his second term. Lula is a member of the Central Committee of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) and was the party’s presidential candidate in 2000.
Early Life and Education
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was born on June 27, 1969, in Palmas Campos, a district of Rio de Janeiro, a city in the Northeastern region of Brazil.
His father, Lula Sr, was a worker. When he was five years old he moved to the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca, a working-class neighborhood in Central Rio. His mother, Marilia, was a housewife. He grew up in a poor neighborhood that was highly ethnically and socially diverse.
Lula Sr had two jobs when his son was born. One was a construction worker and the other his was a barber. At a young age, Lula Sr. was arrested for a petty crime. During the time of his incarceration he was forced to work, and even to fight in self defense in the streets and on the sidewalks of Rio de Janeiro. He and Lula Jr, the only son, would often sneak out of the house at night and visit the bars of the neighborhood. Lula Jr. attended the primary and middle school in Barra da Tijuca, but he was sent to the elementary and high school in Centro. Lula Jr. would attend the University of Rio de Janeiro and he would graduate in 1996 as a law student.
In 1985 Lula Jr. earned his law degree in Rio de Janeiro. Lula Jr. then decided to enter the Workers’ Party (PT) instead of returning to his law studies. He joined his parents in Barra da Tijuca and lived with his parents and his three brothers, Lula Jr., Lula Jr. Jr., and Lula Sr. In 1986 Lula Sr. became an active member of the PT. He would be a member of the Municipal Committee for Social Development and he would become a city councillor in 1988 and later city council president for two consecutive periods. He
