[ad_1]
Leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be sworn in as Brazil’s president on Sunday amid tight security in the Brazilian capital after threats of violence by supporters of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
The ceremony at the Congress begins at 3 pm local time in Brasilia, after which Lula will go to the Planalto palace to present the presidential sash in front of 30,000 supporters.
Several tens of thousands of supporters are then expected to gather to celebrate on Brasilia’s esplanade.
Lula, 77, narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in October to win an unprecedented third term as president.
This followed a hiatus that saw Lula spend a year and a half behind bars on corruption convictions that were later overturned.
Hero of the people
In his previous years as president of the Workers’ Party (PT) from 2003-2010, the former union leader lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty during a commodity boom that fueled the economy of South America’s largest country.
But Lula’s presidency was unlike his previous two terms, following the tightest presidential race in more than three decades in Brazil and resistance to taking office by some of his opponents. The left defeated the far-right Bolsonaro in the October 30 election by less than two percentage points and his loyal supporters refused to accept the defeat.
Lula now faces the daunting challenge of improving Brazil’s stagnant economy while also uniting a country that has become painfully polarized under Bolsonaro.
“Much is desired by Lula. He will have a difficult mission to restore normality and predictability in Brazil, and above all will produce quick results that improve the quality of life for the population,” said Creomar de Souza, director of Dharma Political Risk Consulting in Brasilia.
Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida on Friday, avoiding having to hand over the belt to his rival, whose victory is not yet known.
Bolsonaro faces criticism
Critics say it also removes him from immediate legal risks, which are linked to his term in office.
Bolsonaro’s supporters have been protesting for two months because the election was rigged and calling for a military coup to prevent Lula from returning to office in a climate of vandalism and violence.
One of his supporters was arrested for making a bomb found in a truck filled with aviation fuel at the entrance to Brasilia airport, and admitted that he wanted to spread chaos to discourage military intervention.
In a thinly veiled dig, Acting President Hamilton Mourao, who is Bolsonaro’s vice president, criticized his former leader for failing to lead the country and allowing anti-democratic sentiment to flourish after his defeat in the October election.
“The leader who is supposed to reassure and unite the nation … allows silence or inappropriate and destructive protagonism to create an atmosphere of chaos and social disintegration,” Mourao said in a speech on Saturday night.
Mourao defended Bolsonaro’s four years in power for leaving behind a strong economy, but criticized his environmental backsliding after deforestation in the Amazon reached a 15-year high.
As tens of thousands of Lula’s supporters flocked to central Brasilia for Sunday’s celebrations, authorities sent 10,000 police and troops to strengthen security and search participants, who could not bring bottles, cans, flagpoles or toy guns. The carrying of firearms by civilians is also temporarily prohibited.
Organizers said delegates from 50 countries and 19 heads of state and government, including the king of Spain, had confirmed their attendance.
[ad_2]
Source link