Catherwood LibraryILR School

Elected last year in the largest electoral landslide in the history of Brazil's presidency, the country's first working class president is beginning to run into opposition and criticism as his administration struggles to achieve the difficult goals it has set for itself (see WIT for Oct. 28, 2002). Known affectionately by the Brazilian people who elected him as Lula, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government has been criticized for implementation delays in the anti-famine program, tax and social security reforms that formed a large part of his platform. Caught in a difficult balancing act between securing a solid governing coalition in Bazil's Congress and moving ahead with needed change, Lula remains immensely popular but has come under fire from some within his own Workers' Party and is facing the first major strike of his presidency.