Brazil’s veteran socialist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was ignored by departing President Jair Bolsonaro as he entered the office for a third term on Sunday, underscoring the severe differences 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 “maintain, defend and obey the constitution.” He is again in charge of Latin America’s largest economy.
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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 was the culmination of 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 during the pomp-filled ceremony in Brasilia, a symbol of the wounds left over from Lula’s bloody electoral 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 putting an explosive-rigged tanker truck close to the airport in the city, some 8,000 police officers were dispatched.
Police claimed to have apprehended a second guy on Sunday who attempted to access the gated inauguration ceremonial area while carrying pyrotechnics and a knife.
According to reports, Bolsonaro departed 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 dimmed the mood.
Numerous long queues of Lula fans from all around the nation formed as they tried to pass through the security perimeter while yelling for 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 “I’m excited 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 admiration for his humility, his commitment to ensuring the people live in dignity.”
46-year-old machine operator Valter Gildo referred to it as “a historic day.”He declared, “Today marks the return of a working man to the presidential palace, someone who fights for social causes, for minorities, against racism and homophobia, a person who represents Brazil.”
19 heads of state and other foreign dignitaries were present as 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 monarch of Spain, and 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 person who would present Lula with the sash in Bolsonaro’s absence has been kept a mystery by the ceremony’s organizers, who are overseen by the incoming first lady Rosangela “Janja” da Silva.
A new president won’t be given the yellow-and-green sash by his outgoing counterpart for the first time since the end of Brazil’s military dictatorship in 1965 and 1985.
The Latin American powerhouse under Lula has several pressing issues; it is no longer the commodities-fueled juggernaut it was in the 2000s.
They consist of reviving economic development, putting a stop to the widespread devastation of the Amazon rainforest, and carrying out his bold plan to combat poverty and inequality.
Although Brazil’s government finances are already stretched thin, markets are anxiously waiting to see how Lula will pay for his promised social expenditures.
Since Lula’s close runoff victory on October 30, far-right hardliners have been holding demonstrations outside army posts, demanding a military intervention to prevent him from assuming office as a reflection of how divided the nation still is.
