Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Brazilian Workers’ Party took office as president on Sunday. The old Metal worker known as Lula says he works for the rainforest and the poor, among other things.
19:32•Updated 19:35
Brazil’s new president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took the oath of office on Sunday, and thus the country’s election of the president, full of excitement, came to an end.
The Brazilians chose “Lula” to step down Jair Bolsonaro instead in the tight presidential election. There are big differences between men. While Bolsonaro of the right-wing party Partido Liberal is a former soldier and value conservative, Lula of the Labor Party Partido dos Trabalhadores is a former metalworker and trade unionist.
The differences with the hard-nosed Bolsonaro came up already in Lula’s inauguration speech. After donning his presidential sash in the capital Brasília on Sunday, Lula burst into speech and soon burst into tears. In his speeches, the 77-year-old long-time leftist promised to work for both nature and the poor.
– We are responsible for the Amazon and its diversity, its groundwater, its minerals and sources of clean energy. When we act responsibly and independently, we are respected for sharing all of this with humanity, in solidarity, never subordinated.
In addition to the Amazon and natural resources, emotions were aroused by the disadvantaged.
– People queue for bones from slaughterhouses to ease their hunger, at the same time as others queue for imported cars and private planes. Such class differences prevent us from building a truly just and democratic society, as well as a successful and modern economy, Lula envisioned with a trembling voice.
A large part of Lula’s speeches also included barking at the retreating Bolsonaro and listing his failures. However, Lula gave the impression that the time of dividing the country in two is over, and his people respond to “hate with love”.
Brazil’s biggest challenge is massive poverty
At the inauguration ceremony, Lula was accompanied by members of Brazil’s dark-skinned and indigenous peoples, through whose presence the new president tried to highlight the attention he paid to the underprivileged.
When Lula was president for the last time between 2003 and 2011, Brazil’s economy was booming as the country’s rich natural resources were put up for sale at a good pace.
Now the huge country of 8.5 million square kilometers and inhabited by 214 million Brazilians is plagued by slow economic growth, corruption and threatening inflation figures.
According to Oxfam’s estimate (you will switch to another service) more than 33 million Brazilians suffer from hunger and about 63 million are below the World Bank’s poverty line. Bolsonaro supported the poor with income transfers during the corona and now the price increase, but now due to the severe inflation, it is not so simple to continue the support measures.
Lula plans to accelerate Brazil’s economy with the help of state-owned companies that “lead growth and innovation” in a new model. For example, among such leading stars, Lula named Petrobras, a state-owned company operating in the fuel sector.
For the world’s largest rainforest region, the Amazon, Lula basically means good. Bolsonaro was not interested in the state of the rainforest, while Lula has brought up the huge carbon sink and the source of diversity constantly.
Lula intends to succeed in protecting the Amazon in the old, proven way. Currently serves as the Minister of the Environment By Marina Silva, who was already in the same position during Lula’s previous presidency. Silva has been praised as the environment minister who knew how to balance the protection of natural resources and economic utilization.
However, at the beginning of the millennium, the efficient Silva ended up messing with the eye-catchers of the construction and agricultural sectors and was left out among Lula’s ministers.
In addition to an efficient minister, nature conservation should receive more funding and the punishments for those who destroy the forest should be tightened.
However, reform work related to the economy or the environment will not be easy when the situation in the Brazilian Congress is stable. The parties loyal to Bolsonaro got victories in the elections, and Lula’s side needs cow deals to get the legislation they want through.
Ruralists, who are for example politicians supported by agricultural companies, hold a lot of power in Congress. Lula needs to keep them happy if he is to create any kind of new route for the South American giants in a tight situation.
Read more:
Bolsonaro, who lost the Brazilian presidential election, broke his silence – says he will follow the constitution
The worst forest fires in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years – Researcher: Brazil’s presidential election is the moment of fate for the forests