Returning Lula vows to reunify Brazil

BRASILIA — Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office on Sunday for a third term as Brazil's president, vowing to fight for the poor and the environment and "rebuild the country "after the divisive administration of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

The 77-year-old veteran politician, who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, took the oath of office before Congress, capping a remarkable political comeback for the metalworker-turned-president less than five years after he was jailed on convictions related to alleged corruption. The Supreme Court quashed his convictions in 2021, ruling the lead judge in the case had been biased.

Foreign dignitaries including 19 heads of state were in attendance at the ceremony.

They included the presidents of a raft of Latin American countries, Germany, Portugal and the king of Spain.

At the invitation of the Brazilian government, Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan, as President Xi Jinping's special representative, also led a delegation to Brazil for the inauguration.

In Brasilia, a sea of red-clad supporters braved the scorching heat to flood the city, exuberantly cheering the new president — popularly known as Lula — as he was driven through the ultramodern capital in a black convertible Rolls-Royce.

"I'm excited beyond measure," retired teacher Zenia Maria Soares Pinto, 71, said after traveling 30 hours by bus from the southern state of Santa Catarina. "I have so much admiration for his humility, his commitment to ensuring the people live in dignity."

Urgent challenges ahead

Giving a blistering overview of the past four years under Bolsonaro, who snubbed the ceremony in a break with tradition, Lula said his government would work to undo a legacy of economic decline, surging poverty and funding cuts in health, education and science.

"Upon these terrible ruins, I pledge to rebuild the country, together with the Brazilian people," he said, vowing to fight for poor Brazilians, racial and gender equality, and zero deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, where destruction surged under Bolsonaro.

The swearing-in began with a minute of silence for Brazilian football legend Pele and former pope Benedict XVI, who both died in recent days.

Lula was then driven from Congress to the Planalto presidential palace where he received the presidential sash from eight citizens selected to represent the people.

An emotional Lula broke down in tears, thanking the Brazilian people for their faith in him and vowing to fight for a more just country.

He also extended an olive branch to the many Brazilians who did not vote for him in the election, which he won by a razor-thin 50.9 percent to Bolsonaro's 49.1 percent.

"I will govern for all 215 million Brazilians," he said. "There aren't two Brazils. We are one country, one people."

Agencies - Xinhua