‘Our phoenix’: Lula’s ups and downs in Brazil defy belief
By MAURICIO SAVARESE
Associated Press
SAO PAULO (AP) — Four years ago, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reputation and political future were in tatters. After an unlikely rise from poverty to union leader to Brazil’s presidency, the man universally known as Lula had landed in prison. On Sunday – in yet another twist – Brazilian voters chose him by the narrowest of margins to once again lead the world’s fourth-largest democracy. He will also be putting his legacy on the line. The life of da Silva has unfolded in such a unique, extraordinary way that, were it fiction, it would strain credulity.
