In this new episode of La Loupe, Xavier Yvon explains to us how the “president of the poor” wants to unravel everything his predecessor has done, while the shadow of Bolsonaro hangs over his mandate with Chantal Rayes, correspondent for L’Express in Brazil, and Charles Carrasco, news chief and former correspondent in Rio.
Margaux Lannuzel: There you go… I paste the photo there and I write the caption: Brasilia, January 1, 2023.
And yes, that’s it, La Loupe has invested in a special “diplomatic snapshots” binder… As you know, we often use it as a starting point to tell about geopolitical balances… So we decided to put together in an album… And so I just added a photo. This time no handshakes, but 8 people (and a dog) in front of a huge crowd dressed in red.
The scene takes place in front of the Brazilian presidential palace, for the inauguration ceremony of President Lula, elected in October. On the steps, the soldiers of the presidential guard stand at attention. In the audience, we wave Brazilian flags, we applaud, we film. According to tradition, it is the former head of state, Jair Bolsonaro, who should have handed over the presidential sash to his successor. But in his absence, everything was reorganized!
In the center, there is therefore Lula, and around him citizens who represent all the diversity of the nation: a black child, a metalworker, a cook, a teacher, a young man with a disability, and above all Raoni, the emblematic defender of the Amazon rainforest.
And that is anything but a coincidence, because the Amazon is THE symbol of the excesses of former President Bolsonaro… During his mandate, deforestation and organized crime exploded there, while everything was in place to try to safeguard this immense forest.
And it is therefore starting with the Amazon that Lula puts on his costume as head of state… On this subject as on the others, the one who is nicknamed “the president of the poor” must unify a totally divided country, while that Bolsonaro’s shadow still hangs over Brazil…
Listen to this episode and subscribe to La Loupe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and Amazon Music.
The team: Charlotte Baris (writing), Margaux Lannuzel (presentation), Ambre Rosala (editing) and Jules Krot (directing).
Music and design: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Image credits: Michael Dantas/AFP
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain/Benjamin Chazal
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For further
Video. Brazil: Lula or Bolsonaro, who really has the worst record on the Amazon?
Brazil: Is Lula done with the excesses of Jair Bolsonaro?
Triumph of the “Latino” left: the recipes of the socialist tidal wave
In Brazil, Lula faces an almost impossible mission: to reconcile a country fractured in two
Why Brazil’s insurgency is a worrying omen, by Yascha Mounk