In a tense Brazil, Lula inaugurated as president

BRASILIA – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former Brazilian president and stalwart of the Latin American left, was sworn in Sunday to the office he first held two decades ago, taking the helm of a polarized nation with promises to save the Amazon rainforest and preserve democracy.

Lula, 77, won the presidency in October in the closest presidential election in Brazilian history, three years after being freed from prison on corruption charges that were later dropped. After a bitterly fought race against incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, marred by misinformation and disinformation, he will now be expected to unite the nation while keeping campaign pledges to rebuild the economy, tackle police brutality and combat deforestation. Brazil’s fiscal challenges will limit his ability to address poverty and hunger.

In his inauguration speech, Lula said that “democracy was the great winner” of a violent election marked by “a hate campaign plotted to embarrass and manipulate the Brazilian electorate.”

“The public machine was used by an authoritarian project of power,” the president said. “To hatred we will respond with love, to lies we will respond with truth, and to terror and violence we will respond with the law and its harshest consequences.”

“Today, after the terrible challenges we have faced,” he added, “we say: democracy forever.”

Lula’s return to the Planalto Palace, for a third term as president of Latin America’s most populous country, restores the left to power in the six largest economies in the region, following recent triumphs over the political right in Colombia and Chile.

Hundreds of thousands of people descended on Brazil’s capital on New Year’s Day to celebrate the inauguration in a carnival-like party dubbed “Lulapalooza.” But the festivities took place against a tense backdrop, as supporters of Bolsonaro remained camped outside army barracks here and across the country, calling for a military overthrow of the incoming government to keep their candidate in office.

The threat of potential violence not far from the inauguration ceremony was a stark reminder of the division in the country Lula is now tasked with governing.

As he took office, one key person was missing. Bolsonaro flew to Florida on Friday with plans to skip the traditional handover of the presidential sash to his successor, a symbolic reaffirmation of Brazil’s young democracy.

In a farewell speech live-streamed Friday, a teary Bolsonaro continued to claim his election loss was unfair, but acknowledged that a new administration would take office Sunday. He condemned violent demonstrations aimed at overturning his loss, calling on his supporters to “show we are different from the other side, that we respect the norms and the Constitution.”

But attacks and threats by Bolsonaro’s supporters in Brasília and across the country led authorities to put security forces on high alert ahead of the inauguration. A group of radical bolsonaristas last month burned buses in the capital and attempted to storm the federal police headquarters after the arrest of a Bolsonaro supporter. Authorities in eight states raided weapons caches and arrested suspects accused of “anti-democratic acts.”

On Dec. 24, police said they had defused a bomb planted near the international airport in Brasília. They arrested a man who they said told investigators he sought to create chaos to draw military intervention before the inauguration. Bolsonaro on Friday rejected Brazilian media reports connecting the bomb suspect to him.

On Sunday morning, law enforcement authorities arrested a man trying to enter the inauguration celebration area carrying a knife and fireworks, they said.

But Minister of Justice Flávio Dino told journalists that the day was calm, with no serious incidents reported. Security forces shot down a drone that was flying over the inauguration area, but Dino said it is not known whether the drone was a serious threat or simply filming the event.

In a televised address Saturday night, former vice – and acting – president Hamilton Mourão, a retired military officer, made a veiled critique of Bolsonaro and his supporters camped out in the military barracks.

“Leaders that should reassure and unite the nation let their silence or inopportune and deleterious protagonism create a climate of chaos and social disintegration,” Mourão said, without mentioning Bolsonaro, or any leader, by name. “And irresponsibly they let the Armed Forces of all Brazilians pay the bill, some by inaction, and others by fomenting a so-called coup.”

Brazilian media reported that some of those in the pro-Bolsonaro camp in Brasilia cursed and booed Mourão as he spoke.

Public safety officials said Thursday that demonstrations against Lula would not be allowed in the central area of the capital during the inauguration ceremony. Any such protests would be directed to other regions of the city.

All of Brasília’s police officers were working Sunday, along with reinforcements from the federal police and other forces. Access to the event area was restricted and all attendees were being inspected.

Bolsonaristas remained camped out outside army headquarters in the capital. Police attempted to clear the camp Thursday, but they withdrew after protesters reacted violently, Brazilian media reported. Buses filled with Bolsonaro supporters reportedly arrived at the camp Friday, even after Bolsonaro’s speech.

The surge in visitors was a boon for local businesses, but some who may have benefitted decided to stay home.

Paulo Pereira, a 34-year-old Uber driver, voted for Lula but feared the potential for violence around the inauguration.

“Did you see that they set buses and cars on fire here a few weeks ago?” he asked. “I don’t want to run the risk of losing my car. It is my livelihood.”

“The city,” he said, “is apprehensive.”

Elsewhere in Brasília, the mood was starkly different. Normally sleepy at this time of year, far removed from New Year’s Eve festivities in other parts of the country, the city was being taken over by Lula parties and sambas.

As one flight from São Paulo landed in the capital, passengers wearing the red caps and T-shirts of Lula’s Worker’s Party cheered and chanted: “Olê, olê, olê, olê, Lula, Lula!” At the airport exit, merchants sold Lula pins and flags.

Before the swearing-in ceremony and speech to Congress, Lula and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin and their wives paraded through the city in an open convertible, a 1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith.

More than 60 foreign representatives and 17 heads of state attended the inauguration of the man widely considered an elder statesmen of the Global South. They were to include presidents from across Latin America, the president of Germany and the king of Spain.

Luís Cláudio Lula da Silva was 17 when his father first came to the presidency. Now 37, he told The Washington Post that it’s difficult to compare Sunday’s inauguration to the one he witnessed 20 years ago.

“Brazil was more united” then, he said. “Today, there is a sense of relief to know that we will have four years of peace in Brazil. … Of progress.”

On the lawns of the federal capital, a red sea of Lula supporters cheered for their new president, holding up their hands with the “L” symbol. People of all ages searched for the best spot in front of the Planalto Palace and watched concerts at two stages. Firefighters sprayed water over the crowds to help alleviate the heat of the federal capital.

Saulo Silva, a chemist in Brasília, said he has attended every inauguration for Lula and his party since 2003. He returned for another on Sunday, gathering with other supporters heading toward Brasilia’s “Esplanade of Ministries.” His arm was covered with three tattoos dedicated to Lula and his Workers’ Party; the most recent reads “Lula President 2022.”

At Lula’s first inauguration, Silva celebrated on the lawn with champagne bottles.

“Today, we have security restrictions,” he said. “Many families camped here in 2003. It was beautiful. Today it is different, but the people are present.”