Brasilia, Brazil.- In the absence of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro in the transfer of command, the Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, received the presidential sash this Sunday from a group of citizens, including the indigenous chieftain Raoni Metuktire.
In a breach of protocol, Lula climbed the ramp of the Planalto presidential palace escorted by a black boy, a metal worker, a cook, an artisan, a teacher and a young man with disabilities, among other representatives of the Brazilian people.
Chieftain Raoni Metuktire, emblematic defender of the Amazon, was among them, wearing his characteristic lip disc and yellow feather headdress.
In one of the most anticipated moments of the inauguration, at the top of the ramp, the black garbage collector Aline Sousa, 33, placed a green and yellow silk ribbon embroidered with gold and diamonds on Lula’s sash. .
Between tears, Lula hugged each one of the group and greeted the tens of thousands of people who accompanied the ceremony from the Plaza de los Tres Poderes, equally overwhelmed by emotion.
“We assume the commitment to combat all forms of inequality. It is unacceptable that we continue to live with prejudice, discrimination and racism. We are a people of many colors and everyone must have the same rights and opportunities,” Lula said addressing the public.
Lula was proclaimed President of Brazil for the third time, after pronouncing a “constitutional commitment” before Congress and will govern until January 2027.
It is the first time since 1985 that an outgoing president has not passed the presidential sash to his successor.
The far-right Bolsonaro, who after the defeat remained silent for most of the time, traveled to the United States on Friday, two days before the end of his term in government.
