Lula Inauguration: Turning Point in Brazil?

Hopes for a new era after four years of Bolsonaro are high — even abroad. But it won’t be easy for Brazil’s new president, Lula. He inherits a divided country and a troubled family.

“For the defense of democracy,” says Simone Coxeiro, stuffing a bright red T-shirt with Lula’s image into her red trolley suitcase, along with a rain cap and flags of the left-wing PSOL party and the teachers’ union. belongs to. The next morning we left the city of Nova Iguacu, near Rio de Janeiro, for the capital city of Brasilia. It was almost 20 hours by bus, but that didn’t stop Simone. She wants to be there on New Year’s Eve when Luis Inacio Lula da Silva is dressed in a presidential sash.

“Every Reason to Celebrate”

300,000 supporters of the left-wing Workers’ Party PT (Partido dos Trabalhadores) are expected in Brasilia, and there will be concerts by well-known artists, food stalls and a large folk festival. Simone’s husband Ulysses Peixoto alone organized three buses to Brasilia, all three fully booked. “We want to go there, we want to celebrate, because we have every reason to do so after these four years,” says Ulises.

Relief – she felt when Lula was elected, says Simone. Both are politically radical and represent leftist views. The strong woman with long, black curls says she has received multiple threats for her commitment in recent years. On election day, they worked as poll workers and were threatened with guns by militants. “But we defeated Bolsonaro’s government. A government that was vile, spreading violence and hatred, allied with militias, destroyed the state, and proved the existence of the extreme right in Brazil.”

Bolsonaro supporters did not recognize the election results

In recent months, the right to repeatedly cast doubt on the electoral system and continue to talk about fraud. Although there is no evidence for it.

For weeks, supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro have camped out in front of military installations, demanding that the armed forces intervene – including in front of the Palacio Duque de Coxias, where the Eastern Military Command is based in Rio de Janeiro. A kind of tent city now exists, well equipped with chemical toilets, solid tarps and a communal kitchen. Around 300 Bolsonaro supporters are waiting there, dressed in the national colors of green and yellow. They carry placards with inscriptions such as “SOS Armed Forces” or “National Intervention Now”.

“This is a battle to defend God’s cause,” says Sister Teresinha of the Missionaries of Salvation. “No Abortion, Yes Freedom! Defeat Communism and the Devil, they must go to hell!” Sister Teresinha wears a robe and holds a rosary toward the camera.

Lula’s opponents speak of a “conspiracy against democracy”.

The national media was silent on the protests, complained reserve lieutenant and digital influencer Samuel Resende. He is broadcasting the interview wearing a black Bolsonaro T-shirt ARD Watch live via Instagram: “What’s happening here in Brazil is an attempted coup against our democracy,” says Resende. “That’s why people are here in the streets, demonstrating in an orderly, peaceful way, because they believe in democracy.” He firmly believes that all governments in Brazil except Bolsonaro are corrupt and looting the country – especially Lula da Silva, who was never allowed to run.

Indeed, Lula’s previous government coalition featured massive corruption and opulence, for which he never took political responsibility. Lula was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and the convictions against him were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2021. But scandals have damaged his image as a politician, and millions of Brazilians dispute his legitimacy. “My flag will never be red,” they sing in front of the Palacio Duque de Caxias.

The discovery of the bomb causes a stir

“Even if it’s a small group, it’s very worrying,” said Juliano Cardinhas, a security expert at the National University of Brasilia. “By allowing the protests to go ahead, the military is implicitly showing its consent – these people are committing crimes because they are propagating that the democratic system has been dissolved.”

The discovery of the bomb during Christmas caused a stir. Brazilian police have arrested a man who allegedly tried to detonate a bomb in Brasilia. The man arrested is a staunch Bolsonaro supporter. Police say he planned to cause chaos at Lula’s inauguration. Samuel Resende believes the pro-Bolsonaro movement is “system-paid troublemakers” who need to be discredited.

Divided country, tight coffers

Although Lula vowed the unity of all Brazilians after his election victory in late October, the country he will rule in the future remains deeply divided. Bolsonaro will not hand over the presidential mantle to Lula on Sunday. He had already left the country for Florida. After Lula’s victory, Bolsonaro shunned the public and did not leave the palace for weeks. He too has yet to acknowledge Lula’s victory.

It will be difficult for Lula, says Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist at Rio de Janeiro State University. Unlike when he first took office in 2003, Lula now cannot rely on a boom in commodity exports or a growing Chinese economy. “Today we have a polarized country with a well-organized far-right on the streets and online. And we live in a world that is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine and its impact on inflation. Food and oil prices.”

More confidence from all sides

The challenges are complex: the international community hopes that Lula will stop deforestation in the Amazon and take a leading role in the fight against climate change – citizens are demanding quick solutions from Lula in the face of increased poverty, hunger and inequality. . Lula inherits a struggling family and must govern with a Congress dominated by right-wing and conservative forces.

Lula had to give up and build alliances. He has already negotiated with Congress and suspended the debt moratorium to fulfill his campaign promises. Financial markets reacted nervously to Lula’s new donation of trousers, and prices fell.

Cabinet to entertain associates

Even forming his cabinet was a complex puzzle, and Lula established 16 new ministries. “We are trying to form a government that represents as much as possible the political forces that campaigned with us,” Lula said. Key posts such as the Ministry of Economic Affairs or the Ministry of Social Affairs went to close allies.

The appointment of Aniel Franco, the sister of Rio de Janeiro city councilor Mariel Franco, who was killed by paramilitaries in 2018, caused joy in the progressive camp. He becomes the minister for inter-communal equality and for the first time has a ministry for tribals. Lula’s vice president, conservative Geraldo Alcmin, will take over the industry and trade portfolio.

Fight against time

Supporter Ulises Peixoto says Lula can build coalitions and overcome adversity. He worries about something else: “Lula’s biggest problem is time.” People wanted to see quick change. “But the Bolsonaro government has destroyed so much – social policy, education, health, in the Amazon. It will take years to rebuild, and it won’t happen quickly.”

Then the caravan starts moving. He’s also worried about potential clashes with Bolsonaro supporters when he takes office – but don’t let that scare you, Ulysses explains. However, the security precautions taken before the inauguration have now been stepped up again.