Could Brazil's Lula really run? It's not likely
SAO PAULO (AP) — While former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has long insisted he can run for office despite a conviction, experts say the path to doing that is extremely narrow and unlikely to happen. And his Workers' Party risks missing the deadline to register an alternative candidate if it pushes his case for too long.
The party defiantly registered da Silva's candidacy in October's election to much fanfare on Wednesday, despite his conviction for corruption and money laundering last year — a decision that was upheld in January by an appeals court. According to a law the ex-president himself signed, candidates with a conviction upheld are ineligible to hold office for eight years.