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BRAZIL — New Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to “rebuild the country with the Brazilian people” this Sunday, January 1, in a speech before Congress following his enthronement following Jair Bolsonaro’s “catastrophic” record.
The left-wing icon accused his far-right predecessor of “depleting health resources, dismantling education, culture, science and technology and destroying environmental protection”.
He also asserted that his country, a major agrarian power, “need not cut down any forest” to support its agriculture. “We will be able to live without cutting down trees, without burning forests,” he assured, recalling his goal of “no deforestation in the Amazon”, while the international community expects strong gestures from him.
” We are together ! “, Macron congratulates his “friend”
At the end of his speech, a section of the Congress, dressed in a blue suit and tie, gave Lula a standing ovation and shouted: “Lula, warrior of the Brazilian people! “.
At 77, he was invested for a third term at the helm of the great emerging nation of 215 million in the flood-stricken capital of Brasília, 12 years after he left power after two terms (2003-2010).
Lula’s return to the Planalto Palace marks a remarkable comeback for the man who was jailed on corruption charges just four years ago.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Lula on his inauguration with two tweets in French and Portuguese on Sunday.
Ordem e Progresso: o Brazil honra seu lema. Parabens caro Presidente, caro amigo @LulaOficial, por sua posse. Estam… https://t.co/IBiffPcCns
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron)
“Order and progress: Brazil lives up to its motto. Congratulations, dear President, dear friend Lula, on your inauguration. We are together ! “.
The ceremony was snubbed by Bolsonaro
The swearing-in ceremonies, placed under tight security as far-right activists still do not recognize Lula’s victory, were snubbed by Jair Bolsonaro, who left Brazil two days before the end of his mandate for the United States.
He will therefore not hand over the presidential sash to his successor, as is customary in the democratic tradition, which has not happened since 1985 and the end of the military regime.
A minute’s silence was observed in Congress in honor of Brazilian football legend Pelé, who died on Thursday, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of supporters dressed in red, the color of the Labor Party (PT), cheered Lula as he drove to the convention alongside Geraldo Alckmin and their wives in a traditional Rolls-Royce convertible despite safety concerns.
300,000 people are expected to attend the celebrations
After his induction into Congress, Lula was supposed to go to the Planalto Presidential Palace, an architectural jewel designed by Oscar Niemeyer, to receive the famous gold and diamond encrusted presidential sash.
Up to 300,000 people were expected on this day, which combined the pomp with millimeter-regulated ceremonies attended by 17 heads of state and a folk festival with concerts.
The future First Lady, Rosangela da Silva, known as “Janja”, was the great organizer of the festive aspect of the day, with numerous concerts and an eclectic program, with drag queen Pabllo Vittar or living samba legend Martinho from Vila .
Bolsonarists still call for military intervention
Under the blazing sun of this early southern summer, thousands of Brazilians had to wait in lines hundreds of meters for security checks, an AFP journalist noted.
“Olé, olé, olà, Lula, Lula” and “A esplanada e nossa! (The esplanade is ours) shouted a joyful crowd in reference to the Esplanade of Ministries in the heart of Brasília, where Lula was due to deliver his first speech as President that afternoon.
Reclusive and almost silent since his defeat in October, Bolsonaro, who is losing his immunity as president, left Brazil for Florida on Friday. While his most radical supporters want to prevent Lula’s takeover and still camp outside barracks across the country demanding military intervention, security has been tightened.
All the police forces of the Brasília district, around 8,000 agents, and a thousand federal police officers are mobilized.
At the Brasília airport, near which an explosive device was discovered in a tanker truck a week ago, patrols are taking place, placed by a Bolsonarist who wanted to “sow chaos” in Brazil.
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