Lulism: the Evolution of a Political Phenomenon

3 Introduction Lulism, in its origins, is not a political movement. It initiated starting from a government. It was born as an attempt to manage by the State and constitute a different political governance. It therefore refers to the specific field of political engineering, and does not represent a development project, one where short and long term goals must be achieved, simply a different way of going about politics. Lulism differs from other social movements built around political leaders, which form themselves around the culture of the personality of the leader himself, and not when political and popular forces unite around the political ideal personified in a leader. Therefore Lulism is not a culture to Lula as a person, and does not represent a political ideal, but rather a mixture of social and political forces uniting over several decades of converging activism, and finding its common cause within the Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT party. Since making his entrance into the political arena, various social scientists found themselves in an academic debate regarding his governing style. One of the initial concerns was presented by his charismatic personality, evident to everyone since the electoral campaign. In an interview with a Paulista newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, in November 2002, sociologist JosØ de Souza Martins analyzed Lula’s speech as a seducer in front of the public, because the appearance of a charismatic leader is very similar to any other person, but hides and carries with him a social duty. This analytical, yet intriguing circumstance, does not reveal the complexity of Lulism, although it suggests a remarkable trait of Lula’s personality. He has always held this charismatic trait since the times when he was a union leader. However, the Lula government, does not resume with this personal style. The basic composition of the Lula government operates with elements fundamental to the Latin American left wing ideals. In the case of Lulism, the emerging project subordinated to the logics of developing alliances, however it maintained an organization composed of many classes that would generate the governance necessary for the State to promote the reforms historically needed, or at least try to. The State lived the Lulism phenomenon as the protagonist of its public actions. Lula’s charisma, therefore, composed a rational governing strategy and not a mere emotional or affectionate result of the population towards his charismatic leadership. The range of alliances that Lula had the ability to generate attracting and seducing a large number of social masses, on one side, and the security he guaranteed to the