Doctors say Brazil's Lula is recovering after surgery for a brain bleed

SAO PAULO -- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is recovering in an intensive care unit after undergoing unplanned surgery for a brain bleed, doctors said Tuesday.

The procedure was performed after the 79-year-old leftist leader suffered complications resulting from a fall at home in October, doctors said.

“He is in a stable condition, talking normally and eating. He will remain under observation for the next few days,” Dr. Roberto Kalil with the Sirio-Libanes hospital in Sao Paulo told a press conference.

There will be no aftereffects, doctors said, adding that Lula expected to return to the capital, Brasilia, at the beginning of next week. Until then, he will not be working, they said.

Lula traveled from Brasilia in the early hours Tuesday to be treated in Sao Paulo, 1,000 kilometers south (620 miles). Doctors said the first lady was at his side and the president had no other visitors.

Lula canceled a trip to Russia for a BRICS summit after the accident, his office said at the time. It left him with a cut visible on the back of his head, slightly above his neck.

Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sent his best wishes for a full and speedy recovery, according to a statement. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro posted his wishes on X, calling Lula a “comrade.”

The White House also sent its best wishes. President Joe Biden and Lula saw each other in November during the Group of 20 economic summit in Rio de Janeiro.

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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.