Lula accelerates re‑election push with infrastructure inaugurations and campaign team overhaul

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has finished a wave of public works inaugurations ahead of the electoral cooling‑off period, visiting seven states and delivering projects in education, health, housing and infrastructure. Notably, he opened the Major Sales irrigation tunnel in Luís Gomes, Rio Grande do Norte, where water had not yet reached the structure – an error Lula described as a “miscalculation” that did not reflect any structural fault. He also launched the construction site for the Salvador‑Itaparica bridge in Bahia, drawing criticism from the opposition for announcing a project still in early stages.

With the national PT convention set for 2 August in São Paulo, Lula is shifting focus to campaign preparation, limiting public appearances to closed‑door meetings as electoral law bars candidates from further inaugurations. His communication staff is being reshaped: longtime presidential photographer Ricardo Stuckert will leave the secretariat to coordinate Lula’s campaign social‑media channels alongside digital strategist Nicole Briones, and three press‑office advisers will move to the campaign team.

In the same region, PT pre‑candidate Cadu Xavier said Lula’s brief remark during the tunnel inauguration boosted his online profile, adding over 4,000 followers and a video that reached one million views. The pre‑campaign also emphasizes outreach to women voters, expanding female participation in campaign leadership and highlighting policies on gender‑based violence and health services.