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 Raymond Colitt, Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2004