Lula, 80, makes stamina a Brazil election issue

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is making stamina part of his bid for a fourth term, using workout videos and a busy schedule to answer questions about whether, at 80, he can win and govern after October's election.

Lula says he feels fitter than ever and has spoken of wanting to live to 120. He has also had health scares, including a fall in 2024 that caused a brain bleed.

A former metalworker and union leader from Pernambuco, Lula first became president in 2003, won re-election in 2006 and returned to office in 2022 by a narrow margin against Jair Bolsonaro. He had spent 580 days in prison before corruption charges were thrown out on procedural grounds and the lead judge in the case was found to be biased. Lula was not exonerated, and the case still shapes Brazil's polarised politics.

Lula has said he wants to stop the far right from returning to power. One presidential hopeful is Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of Jair Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro has called Lula the "Brazilian Biden" and said voters do not see a future in him.

Jair Bolsonaro was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup after trying to prevent Lula from returning to power.