Luiz Inacio Lula Emerge Brazil President For 3rd Term
Brazil‘s veteran socialist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was ignored by outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro as he entered office for a third term on Sunday, underscoring the severe divisions he inherits.
After an acrimonious election in October, the 77-year-old former metalworker who presided over Brazil from 2003 to 2010 took the oath of office before Congress, promising to “keep, defend, and follow the constitution.” He is again in charge of Latin America’s largest economy.
The swearing-in ceremony, which was attended by Lula in a blue suit and tie, opened with a moment of silence for the recently deceased former pope Benedict XVI and Brazilian football great Pele.
It marked the culmination of Luiz Inacio Lula‘s spectacular political comeback, which saw him return to the presidential palace less than five years after he was imprisoned on contentious corruption accusations that have since been dropped.
Security was extremely tight at the pomp-filled ceremony in Brasilia, a symbol of the wounds left over from Lula’s bloody election duel with far-right ex-army captain Bolsonaro in October.
Following the arrest of a Bolsonaro supporter last week for plotting to “sow chaos” in the South American nation by planting an explosive-rigged tanker truck close to the airport in the capital, some 8,000 police officers were dispatched.
Police claimed to have apprehended a second man on Sunday who attempted to access the gated inauguration ceremonial area while carrying fireworks and a knife.
According to reports, Bolsonaro left Brazil on Friday for the US state of Florida in order to avoid handing the presidential sash to his fierce rival as is customary.
Tens of thousands of people attended the New Year’s Day ceremony and a large celebratory concert including performers ranging from drag queen Pabllo Vittar to samba great Martinho da Vila, so the rejection hasn’t exactly dampened the mood.
Numerous long queues of Luiz Inacio Lula fans from all around the nation formed as they tried to pass through the security perimeter while yelling his support.
After traveling 30 hours by bus from the southern state of Santa Catarina, retired teacher Zenia Maria Soares Pinto, 71, told AFP that she was “thrilled beyond measure.”
As part of a group of supporters for Lula outside the hotel where the new president spent the night, Pinto said, “I have so much appreciation for his humility and his devotion to ensure the people live in dignity.
46-year-old machine operator Valter Gildo referred to it as “a historic day.”
He declared, “Today signifies the return of a working man to the presidential palace, someone who fights for social causes, for minorities, against racism and homophobia, and a person who represents Brazil.”
19 heads of state and other foreign dignitaries were present as Luiz Inacio Lula, who presided over Brazil from 2003 to 2010 during a watershed boom, took the oath of office for a second four-year term.
They included the king of Spain, Germany, the presidents of a number of Latin American nations, and Portugal.
Lula will proceed to the presidential palace, the Planalto, in the city’s ultramodern capital after being sworn in before Congress.
He will get the presidential sash, which is adorned with gold and diamonds, and proceed up a ramp to the door.
The ceremony’s planners, under the direction of the incoming first lady Rosangela “Janja” da Silva, have preserved a secret about who will present Lula with the sash in Bolsonaro’s absence.
Since the overthrow of Brazil’s military dictatorship in 1965–1985, an incoming president has never received the yellow-and-green sash from his outgoing counterpart.
Urgent Task list
In the massive Latin American country that Luiz Inacio Lula formerly commanded, which was a commodities-fueled dynamo, there are many pressing issues that need to be addressed.
Restarting economic growth, stopping the widespread devastation of the Amazon rainforest, and carrying out his bold plan to combat poverty and inequality are a few of them.
In the meantime, markets are anxiously awaiting Luiz Inacio Lula‘s plan to pay for the promised social spending given Brazil’s overstretched government resources.
Bolsonaro’s conservative supporters will control Congress, which Lula will have to contend with.
Far-right hardliners have been demonstrating outside army facilities ever since Luiz Inacio Lula’s narrow runoff victory on October 30, urging a military intervention to prevent him from seizing office. This is a sign of how divided the country still is.
