Lula went to the oath with his wife and the couple’s dog, Resistencia, at the Planalto Palace and there he was received by the indigenous leader Raoni (3rd from the left), who placed the presidential sash on him/AFP
The leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised yesterday to “rebuild” Brazil and reconcile his compatriots by accessing the presidency for the third time, an inauguration marked by the absence of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Exactly 20 years after coming to power for the first time, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 77, was proclaimed president along with his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, by pronouncing their “constitutional commitment” in the Brasilia Congress.
The ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of former Brazilian star Pelé and Benedict XVI, both of whom died a few days ago at the ages of 82 and 95, respectively.
Dressed in a blue suit and tie, Lula promised in his first speech to “rebuild” the country on the “ruins” of the legacy of the far-right Bolsonaro.
“They emptied health resources, dismantled education, culture, science and technology, destroyed environmental protection,” said Lula, who also reaffirmed his commitment to reduce deforestation in the Amazon to zero.
“There is no need to cut down any more trees,” said the president, assuring that this will not prevent him from supporting Brazil’s powerful agricultural sector.
Contrary to tradition, his predecessor was absent. Bolsonaro traveled to the United States on Friday, two days before the end of his government term.
The leftist was accompanied by about twenty heads of state, the largest number for a takeover in Brazil. Among these were the leaders of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Honduras and Uruguay, as well as the King of Spain, Felipe VI.
Washington sent Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first indigenous woman to form a cabinet in the United States, while Vice President Wang Qishan attended on behalf of China.
A CACIQUE GAVE HIM THE BAND
Aboard the now traditional black convertible Rolls Royce, Lula later traveled with the first lady, the sociologist Rosangela da Silva “Janja”, to the presidential palace of Planalto, where a tide of supporters dressed in red, the color of his Workers Party.
In Bolsonaro’s absence, Chief Raoni, together with representatives of other minorities and popular classes in Brazil, were in charge of handing him the presidential sash, a green and yellow silk ribbon embroidered with gold and diamonds, which Lula received without being able to contain tears. .
“It is unacceptable that we continue to live with prejudice, discrimination and racism. We are a people of many colors and everyone should have the same rights,” he said.
Among his first steps as president, Lula invested his 37 ministers, 14 more than under Bolsonaro’s administration, and with a record 11 women.
And, as he had promised, he signed several decrees to reverse the far-right measures that facilitated access to weapons, and strengthen environmental institutions in the Amazon.
ONE BRAZIL
Lula addressed half of the electorate that did not vote for him in the October 30 run-off (50.9 percent of the votes compared to 49.1 percent for Bolsonaro), a result that revealed a nation split in two. .
“There are not two Brazils. We are a single country, a single people,” Lula said. “I am going to govern for the 215 million Brazilians (…) looking towards our bright future and not through the rear-view mirror of a past of division and intolerance”, she assured.
“It was a wonderful speech, of reconciliation,” said Suellen Campos Leopoldo, a 33-year-old woman who traveled from Santa Catarina (south) with her husband to attend the inauguration.
