Winner of the second presidential round on October 30 with 50.9% of the vote (49.1% for Bolsonaro), the progressive leader (77) thus begins his third presidential term, after having governed between 2003 and 2010, in the presence of 50 foreign delegations, including 17 Heads of State.
Lula was proclaimed the new president after taking an oath to respect the Constitution before Congress. At Planalto Palace, the seat of executive power, he received the green and yellow presidential sash from the hands of civil society actors.
Before the start of the ceremony in Congress, a minute of silence was observed in tribute to Brazilian football legend Pelé, who died of cancer last Thursday, and to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday.
Lula had arrived at the seat of legislative power after marching past a crowd of tens of thousands in a Brazilian presidential Rolls Royce “Silver Wraith” convertible, in which he was accompanied by his wife, Rosângela “Janja” da Silva, its vice-president Geraldo Alkmin and his wife, Maria Lúcia Ribeiro.
In a speech to Congress, his first as president, Lula Da Silva promised to “save” 33 million people from hunger and 100 million people from poverty, almost half of the country’s population. assuring that his message is one of “hope and reconstruction”.
The new Brazilian president is also committed to defending the environment and indigenous peoples. “We cannot allow the Amazon to be a land of lawlessness, we are not going to tolerate environmental degradation,” he stressed.
The president affirmed that the rights of the population, the strengthening of democracy and national sovereignty will be “the pillars” of his third term, expressing his will to “resume the integration” of Latin America in order to establish “a dialogue active and proud” with the other regions of the world.
He also assured that his government will strengthen cooperation with the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), and build bridges with Africa and the developing world, without neglecting its relations with the United States. or European Europe (EU).
Lula also said that “the wheel of the economy will turn again”, adding that his government will resume the policy of permanently raising the minimum wage.
He also promised to establish measures against the carrying of weapons, which, according to him, threatens the safety of Brazilian families.
According to the authorities, nearly 300,000 people are expected to take part in the inauguration festivities, including music concerts which will be given by nearly 150 artists.