Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office this Sunday as president of Brazil, in what will be the third term of the historic leader of the Workers’ Party (PT).
Upon being sworn in, Lula promised to “rebuild” the South American country, in a ceremony in the Brasilia Congress marked by the absence of his predecessor, the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, international media report.
Exactly 20 years after coming to power for the first time, the 77-year-old leftist president was proclaimed president along with his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, by pronouncing their “constitutional commitment,” a review an office of the AFP.
The ceremony began with a minute’s silence in memory of the legendary Brazilian soccer player Pelé and the emeritus pope Benedict XVI, both of whom died this week at the ages of 82 and 95, respectively.
In his first speech, Lula pledged to “promote the general good of the Brazilian people” and to “rebuild” the country on the “ruins” of Bolsonaro’s legacy.
Today we begin a new stage in the history of Brazil.
?: @ricardostuckert pic.twitter.com/UuKghbZu6O
– Lula (@LulaOficial) January 1, 2023
“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, according to the AFP.
“It is possible to live without cutting down wood, without fires, without invading our biomes,” said the president, who four years ago was in prison convicted of alleged corruption in trials later annulled by the Supreme Court.
In addition, Lula promised to “retake integration” in Latin America to have “an active and proud dialogue” with the other regions of the world.
“We will resume integration from Mercosur, with the revitalization of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and other sovereign bodies” that exist in Latin America, he declared before Congress after being sworn in as the new president of Brazil.
He also guaranteed that his government will strengthen cooperation with the BRICS forum, which Brazil integrates together with Russia, India, China and South Africa, and will build bridges with Africa and the developing world, without neglecting its relations with the United States or the European Union (EU). ), says the agency EFE.
The new Brazilian president arrived at Parliament after parading in a vehicle without a hood in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of people who have gathered since the first hour of January 1 to attend the inauguration ceremonies, he added in his report the Spanish media.
Precisely, after his swearing in before Congress, a diverse representation of the Brazilian people gave Lula the presidential sash in the absence of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.
According to the protocol, the outgoing president is in charge of passing the band to his successor after walking down the ramp of the Planalto presidential palace, but Bolsonaro, who still does not publicly acknowledge his defeat, decided not to participate in the inauguration acts and travel to the United States without official forecast of return.
Some twenty heads of state attend the inauguration of Lula da Silva, the largest number for an inauguration in Brazil.
Among the attendees are the King of Spain, Felipe IV, and the presidents of Argentina, Alberto Fernández; Bolivia, Luis Arce; Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Chile, Gabriel Boric; Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou; Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa; and Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The United States sent the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, while China was attended by Vice President Wang Qishan. For Cuba, the representative is Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa.
The official ceremonies will conclude with a reception that will be offered by Lula to the foreign delegations at the Itamaraty Palace, seat of the Foreign Ministry, next to the Parliament and Government headquarters, reports EFEaccording to which the so-called Festival of the Future is held hours before the ceremony, a concert that brings together fifty popular artists and whose curtain is expected to come down late Monday morning.
(With agency information)
