Brazilian leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in as president on Sunday with his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro conspicuously absent.
Bolsonaro, who now lacks presidential immunity, reportedly left for the United States on Friday without conceding defeat since the October election. Bolsonaro reportedly plans to stay in Florida for at least a month, according to The New York Times, renting the Orlando home of a professional mixed martial arts fighter just a few miles from Disney World.
In a speech to Brazil’s congress on Sunday, Lula attacked the outgoing president of Latin America’s largest country, accusing Bolsonaro of making anti-democratic threats after the most tense elections in a generation and vowing to hold members of his administration to account. .
“We have no spirit of revenge against those who tried to subjugate the nation to their personal and ideological designs, but we will guarantee the rule of law,” Lula was quoted as saying by Reuters, without mentioning Bolsonaro by name. “Those who erred will answer for their mistakes.”
BRAZIL’S BOLSONARO SAYS SUPREME COURT ELECTIONS ‘ARE OVER’
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, left, greets supporters with his wife Rosangela Silva after being sworn in as the new president at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, January 1, 2023.
(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
“Under the winds of redemocratization, we used to say: ‘Dictatorship never again,'” he added, according to the Times. “Today, after the terrible challenge we have overcome, we must say: ‘Democracy forever.'”
Lula, who was once forced into a political hiatus while serving 580 days in prison on corruption charges before the convictions were overturned by the country’s Supreme Court, vowed on Sunday that in his new third term as president he would tackle deforestation and climate change and invoke tougher gun restrictions. He also criticized Bolsonaro’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reportedly killed 680,000 Brazilians. “The responsibilities for this genocide must be investigated and must not go unpunished,” Lula said.
On the left, Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva smiles during the electoral certification ceremony at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, December 12, 2022. On the right, then-Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, participates in a press conference on October 29, 2022, in Rio de Janeiro.
(AP)
At his elaborate inauguration, which included a motorcade, a music festival and hundreds of thousands of supporters filling the central esplanade of the capital Brasilia, Lula announced that he had accepted a green and yellow presidential sash from the “Brazilian people.”
Breaking tradition, a garbage collector handed over the band to the incoming president because the outgoing Bolsonaro was not there to do it.
“We look forward to continuing the strong partnership between the United States and Brazil on trade, security, sustainability, innovation, and inclusion,” Biden administration US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted. “For a bright future for our countries and the world.”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, right, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, left, and his wife María Lucía Ribeiro, center, ride in an open car to the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, January 1, 2023.
(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
King Carlos also congratulated Lula, saying in a letter that he was “encouraged to hear him emphasize the urgent need to address the climate crisis in his victory speech and at COP27.”
A few hours before the news of his departure, Bolsonaro addressed the country as president on his social networks. At moments on the verge of tears, Bolsonaro said that he could not find a legal alternative or enough support to change the course of history and prevent his removal from office.
“How difficult it has been to be silent for two months, working to find alternatives,” he said. “If you’re upset, put yourself in my shoes. I gave my life to this country.”
Bolsonaro also condemned a recent bomb threat in Brasilia, saying it was not the time to attack people but to try to build opposition against the future government.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives at the Planalto Palace with a group representing various segments of society after being sworn in as the new president in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, January 1, 2023.
(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
“We lost a battle, but we will not lose the war,” he said. “The world does not end on January 1.”
Crowds of supporters stood outside the presidential residence in the pouring rain listening to a signal from their leader, many left disappointed. Some shouted the words “traitor” and “coward.” A woman cried, according to The Associated Press.
President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, left, his wife Rosangela Silva, second from left, Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, right, and his wife María Lucía Ribeiro, ride in an open car to Congress for their ceremony swearing-in, in Brasilia, Brazil, on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
(AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Since his electoral defeat, some of Bolsonaro’s staunchest supporters have been camping out in front of military buildings in Brasilia and other parts of the country, calling for the intervention of the armed forces. Many believed that the election results were fraudulent or unreliable and hoped that Bolsonaro would somehow remain in power.
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Others have blocked roads and highways or set buses and trucks on fire. Police are also investigating the attempted invasion of the federal police headquarters in Brasilia earlier this month and said most of the 32 people they are searching for have had contacts with Brasilia’s pro-Bolsonaro camp.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
