Brazil Lula Sworn In , Ends Bolsonaro Era Amid Heavy Security.
The democratically elected Leftist leader , Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ( Lula) has been sworn in as president of Brazil under a heavy security after alleged threats of violence , coup plots , by supporters of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
The ceremony in Congress began at 3pm (18:00 GMT) on Sunday, after which Lula was due to go to the Planalto Palace to don the presidential sash before a crowd of 30,000 supporters. Some 300,000 more were expected to gather to celebrate on Brasilia’s esplanade.
Foreign dignitaries, including 17 heads of state, will be in attendance. Among them will be the king of Spain and the presidents of Germany, Portugal, and a raft of Latin American countries.
Lula, 77, narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in October to win an unprecedented third presidential term after a hiatus that saw him spend a year and a half behind bars on corruption convictions that were later overturned.
In his previous years as the president of the Workers’ Party (PT) from 2003 to 2010, the former union leader lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty during a commodity boom that buoyed the economy.
“It is a comeback for the ages and Lula’s political projecture has been a trajectory of improbable accomplishments,” Says Gustavo Ribeiro
He was a poverty migrant, worked as a shoe shiner, worked on a factory floor then rose to union leader. He lost three presidential races before he won two terms,” he said.
Now, Lula faces the daunting challenge of improving Brazil’s stagnant economy while also bringing together a country that has become painfully polarised under Bolsonaro.
“It is a very divided nation that Lula will inherit, and one of his many challenges will be to unite the country once more,” said Monica Yanakiew
“ I don’t think Lula will benefit from that proverbial honeymoon period that new presidents enjoy. A big chunk of the country doesn’t see him as a legitimate leader. He will take over a cash-strapped government with a lot of challenges ahead of him,” Says Ribeiro .
Lula has promised, in his words, to “make Brazil happy again”. But he faces many hurdles, from rising poverty to public services in crisis, including lack of investment in education and healthcare.
Bolsonaro’s supporters have falsely claimed that the election was stolen and have protested for two months, calling for a military coup to stop Lula from returning to office in a climate of vandalism and violence.
Last week, a Bolsonaro supporter was arrested for planting a tanker truck rigged with explosives near the Brasilia airport, a plot he said aimed to “sow chaos” in the country.
Bolsonaro left Brazil on Friday for Florida in the United States, avoiding having to hand over the sash to his rival, whose victory he has yet to recognise, while also removing himself from any immediate legal risks related to his time in office.
Before flying to Florida, Bolsonaro delivered a teary address to the nation in which he condemned the bomb plot as a “terrorist act”, but praised protesters camped outside army barracks across the country.
In a thinly veiled dig, acting President Hamilton Mourao, who was Bolsonaro’s vice president, criticised his former boss for failing to lead the country and allowing anti-democratic sentiment to thrive after his October defeat at the polls.
“Leaders who were supposed to reassure and unite the nation … allowed silence or inopportune and deleterious protagonism to create an atmosphere of chaos and social disintegration,” Mourao said in a speech on Saturday night.
Authorities have deployed 10,000 police and troops to reinforce security at Sunday’s events and to search participants, who could not bring bottles, cans, flag masts or toy guns. Carrying firearms by civilians has also been temporarily banned.
Thousands of Lula supporters have been flooding the capital, travelling by plane, car and even bicycle to camp out near the Esplanade of Ministries.
After being sworn in before Congress, Lula was due to travel by car , traditionally a black convertible Rolls-Royce, though officials said that could be changed for security reasons – to the ultra-modern capital’s presidential palace.
There he will walk up a ramp to the entrance and receive the gold- and diamond-embroidered presidential sash.
Organisers of the ceremony – led by First Lady-to-be Rosangela “Janja” da Silva – have maintained a mystery around who will give Lula the sash in Bolsonaro’s absence.
It will be the first time since the end of Brazil’s 1965-1985 military dictatorship that an incoming president does not receive the yellow-and-green sash from his predecessor
It’s a big victory for us , it’s what we’ve all been waiting for. Bolsonaro ruined this country. He’ll never win again,” he said, against blaring car horns. “Lula has already shown himself to be a good president. He helped the poor. Bolsonaro did nothing”.The convivial atmosphere contrasted sharply with the mood among Bolsonaro supporters, hundreds of whom have camped for months outside military bases across the country, calling for the armed forces to annul the results of the elections in October.
The defeated rightwing populist quietly left Brazil for Florida in order to avoid the event.
Bolsonaro’s exit disappointed his more radical followers, who hoped he would contest the outcome of the ballot, which they claim without evidence was rigged. It also means he will shun the tradition of handing over the presidential sash to his successor.
Following the most tightly fought election since democracy was restored to the South American nation in 1985, Lula delivered a speech focusing on unity.
