Financial Times cites Lula’s victory in the elections among predictions for 2026

Every year, on the eve of New Year’s Eve, the English newspaper Financial Times makes 20 predictions about the political world for the following year. This Wednesday (31), the published list features Lula’s victory in the October 2026 elections as one of the bets. According to the forecast, the current president should benefit from Brazil’s good economic moment and the “own goals” from the Bolsonarist right.

The Financial Times cited Lula’s recent health problem, as he underwent emergency head surgery a year ago. But the newspaper’s prediction is that the president will be re-elected for having faced Donald Trump’s tariffs and for having achieved good economic results.

“Own goals from Brazil’s right are also helping him. Some conservative politicians called for US sanctions to punish Brazil for the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro for an attempted coup, but the strategy backfired, as Lula mobilized the nation around him”, explained the Financial Times, which also cited Flavio Bolsonaro’s possible candidacy.

Ukraine, AI and US Congressional elections in other predictions

Among the newspaper’s other 20 predictions, there is also that the President of Ukraine, Zelensky, will not give up the occupation of Donas as part of the peace agreement with Russia; The defeat of the Republicans in the US Congressional elections in November; And that the Artificial Intelligence “bubble” will melt in the stock market, with big losses.

In last year’s predictions, the newspaper got seven of the 20 bets wrong, but was right, for example, that Trump would win the US election.