Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, thought of as the country's first working-class president, has disappointed many voters, just a year after coming into power. Lula's tight fiscal and monetary policies have pleased many conservatives and have brought inflation under control. However measures to control inflation also triggered a recession, causing unemployment to soar. Lula's left-wing supporters feel that they have been abandoned and that Lula has failed to deliver on his campaign promises.
See "Labor Feels Let Down by Brazilian President", Raymond Colitt, Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2004