Lula is President of Brazil again: "We answer hate with love"

Created: 01/03/2023 11:15 am

By: Lisa Kuner

In Brazil, President Lula was installed.

He appears with a diverse cabinet and promises to do many things differently than his predecessor.

Brasilia - Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Brazil's capital Brasilia on January 1.

Some of them had traveled from all over the country, spending many hours on buses or planes.

They had all come to witness the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Social Democratic Workers' Party PT as the country's new President.

Many heads of state and government attended the ceremony, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time, the time had come – 77-year-old Lula was given the presidential sash in green and yellow, the country’s national colors – by representatives from civil society and not, as was usual, by his predecessor.

Lula is the first democratically elected president in Brazil to serve a third term.

His predecessor, right-wing extremist Jair Bolsonaro, left Brazil a few days ago and is said to be currently in Florida.

He allegedly turned his back on Brazil to avoid possible prosecution.

Lula is the new president of Brazil: "Democracy is the big winner of this election"

"Democracy is the big winner of this election," said Lula in his inauguration speech, alluding to Bolsonaro's authoritarian behavior.

He wants to rebuild the country, fight hunger and take action against inequality.

When he talks about hunger in the country, his voice breaks and he starts to cry.

“To hate we respond with love.

On lies with the truth.

We will respond to terror and violence with the law and the consequences of it," he says.

According to Lula, he also wants to overcome the strong polarization in the country and reconcile people with one another.

Lula da Silva was inaugurated on New Year's Day.

© Carl de Souza/AFP

At the end of October, Lula won the presidential election by less than two percentage points.

Lula previously served as President of Brazil for two terms from 2003 to 2011.

Four years ago he wanted to run again, but he was not allowed to run due to corruption allegations and ongoing proceedings against him.

He ended up in prison for around a year and a half, and Bolsonaro finally won the 2018 election.

Brazil under Bolsonaro: Hundreds of thousands of corona deaths and deforestation in the rainforest

He leaves a devastating record in Brazil.

Bolsonaro systematically weakened democratic structures in the country.

The pandemic has killed around 600,000 people in Brazil due to poor political management.

Various groups therefore accuse Bolsonaro of “genocide”.

Bolsonaro also weakened public institutions in the fields of education and health.

The balance for nature in Brazil may be even worse than for the people in the country.

The deforestation rate in the Amazon region rose sharply, forest fires increased sharply.

Lula now wants to do things differently.

The composition of his government shows that.

For example, for the first time in Brazil's history, there is a ministry for indigenous peoples.

The ministry goes to Sônia Guajajara, who has been campaigning for indigenous people nationally and internationally for a long time.

Lula has also created a ministry for ethnic equality that works to combat structural racism.

Aniele Franco, the sister of politician Marielle Franco, who was murdered in 2018, will take over this ministry.

The Ministry of the Environment, which goes to Marina Silva, is worth a special look.

The 64-year-old comes from the Amazon state of Acre and was Minister of the Environment from 2003 to 2008.

She is considered a committed and experienced defender of the environment, climate and people in Brazil's rainforest regions.

In her first term in Brazil, deforestation in the country decreased significantly.

Compared to the four years under Jair Bolsonaro, the military is disappearing from government and many more ministries are going to women and non-white people.

Lula inherits a difficult legacy

The new government in Brazil faces major challenges when it comes to restarting.

Economically, the country is in a weak situation.

The pandemic and an ongoing recession have hit Brazil hard.

Unlike in Lula's first two terms of office, the region is currently not benefiting to the same extent from the commodity boom.

Also, the country is deeply divided, and Lula's Labor Party has no majority in either Congress or the Senate, so passing legislation will require broad coalitions and likely major compromises.

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As president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also makes it clear that he wants to tackle the challenges in the country.

In his first official act, he signed, among other things, a decree to reintroduce stricter control of weapons.

Under Bolsonaro, gun legislation in the country had been relaxed, which is one of the reasons why there were major security concerns when Lula took office.

Fortunately, they turned out to be unfounded.

And so the spectators who had arrived were able to celebrate the President extensively after the swearing-in.