Lula’s rule pulls Brazil upwards

As the decade comes to a close, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may look back with some satisfaction.

As Brazil’s leader for the past seven years, he has presided over reduction in crime and increase in economic growth that has resulted in the country emerging as a major world player.

However, Lula, who comes from a humble background and has one year left of his current term, is not without his critics.

Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports from Rio de Janeiro.