Several tens of thousands of Lula sympathizers dressed in red invaded the center of Brasilia this Sunday, January 1 at midday, a few hours before the historic leader of the left was proclaimed president of Brazil for the third time. The re-elected Brazilian president enjoyed a walkabout among his supporters before taking the oath before Parliament. In his speech, Lula pledged “to rebuild the country, with the Brazilian people”.
Lula’s inauguration ceremony began with a minute’s silence in honor of the Brazilian football legend, Peleand to the pope emeritus Benedict XVI. Before the Brazilian anthem resounds in the enclosure of the Congress, in Brasilia.
The Brazilian president signed the ledger with a pen that has sentimental value. This pen was given to him by one of his supporters in a meeting in 1989 in Piauí, long before he came to power, so that he could sign on the day of his investiture. During his election in 2002 and then in 2006, he did not have the pen with him. There he found it and preferred it to the pen provided to him by Congress, ” in tribute to the people of Piauí “, does he have.
” Rebuilding the country, with the Brazilian people »
At 77, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was proclaimed for the third time president of the large emerging country of 215 million inhabitants, twelve years after leaving power after two terms (2003-2010). In his speech, Lula widely criticized the mandate of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, without ever quoting him.
The new Brazilian president also largely evoked in his speech the reconquest of social rights and freedoms, which for him were flouted during the presidency of his far-right predecessor. The president thus criticized the dissemination of false news, the use of the public machine for electoral purposes, and the dismantling in several areas: health, education, science and the environment.
He got involved ” to rebuild the country, with the Brazilian people in a firm tone. ” We bear no spirit of revenge against those who have tried to subjugate the nation to their personal and ideological designs, but we will guarantee the rule of law “, he assured, while the country has been largely divided in recent years.
He also focused this investiture speech on the fight for the environment. ” We will be able to live without cutting down trees, without burning of forests, he said, recalling his goal of zero deforestation in the Amazon “.
Blazing sun
Up to 300,000 people are expected for this day to combine the pomp, with ceremonies regulated to the millimeter to which 17 heads of state must attend, and a popular festival with concerts.
At 3 p.m. local time (6 p.m. UT), Lula voters were getting impatient, reports our special correspondent in Brasilia, Sarah Cozzolino. They have been waiting for four years to turn the page on Jair Bolsonaro’s government. A red and white tide in the colors of the Workers’ Party (PT), in front of the presidential palace, scrutinized this official ceremony on the big screen from the lawn of the Place des Trois Pouvoirs.
Most had traveled several days to arrive. They got up at dawn to witness this historic moment. Exhausted, some left-wing activists began to criticize the organization. They were no longer too worried about the safety of the event, but wondered how long they would hold out in these conditions.
” Olé, olé, ola, Lula, Lula “, and ” At esplanada é nossa! », « the esplanade is ours shouted a joyful crowd, referring to the Esplanade of the Ministries, in the heart of Brasilia.
Jair Bolsonaro in the United States
Reclusive and almost silent since his defeat in October, Jair Bolsonaro, who loses his presidential immunity, left Brazil on Friday for Florida, in the south of the United States. While his most radical followers want to prevent Lula’s accession to power and are still camped outside barracks in the country, demanding military intervention, security has been tightened.
All the police forces of the district of Brasilia, some 8,000 agents, are mobilized, as well as a thousand federal police officers. The number of people who can attend Lula’s speech outside the Planalto Palace has been limited to 30,000 people.
Patrols are taking place at Brasilia airport near which an explosive device was discovered a week ago in a tanker truck, placed by a Bolsonarist who wanted to ” create chaos ” in Brazil.
(And haswith AFP)
►Also read: INTERNATIONAL GUEST – Anaïs Fléchet (historian): in Brazil, “the fight against hunger will be one of Lula da Silva’s priorities”