Lula new president: “Goal of zero deforestation in the Amazon”

He swore at 19.10 Italian time, exactly twenty years after the first time. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva77 years old, took office today, January 1, as the new president of Brazil, a position he already held between 2003 and 2011. In his first speech after the oath, he pledged to “rebuild the country with the Brazilian people”, but also to protect the Amazon forest. «Our goal», he said, «is to achieve zero deforestation in Amazonia. Brazil does not need to clear forests to maintain and expand its strategic agricultural frontier.”

The ceremony was held in front of tens of thousands of citizens gathered in the Esplanade of the Ministries in Brasilia, the capital of the country, at the end of a long party with choirs, a long parade of cars and live music. The only one absent was the now ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who deserted the ceremony as he was away from the country: on December 30, in fact, he got on a plane and flew to Miami, Florida. He will stay there for at least a month, his entourage said.

No official handover as per protocol, therefore. Only cheering supporters of the Workers’ Party among the
Impressive security measures, dictated by the danger of acts of terrorism. The Ministry of Justice has authorized the deployment of the National Guard in the capital until January 2, and the Supreme Court has banned citizens from carrying weapons into the city for these days.

That the risk exists is demonstrated by the fact that, a few hours before Lula was sworn in, a man was arrested in Brasilia while carrying a knife and an explosive device. The news was later confirmed by a military police officer in the capital. The alert, therefore, remains high.

Today’s ceremony concludes the hardest-fought Brazilian presidential election of the last thirty years. Lula, who defeated Bolsonaro by less than two points in the runoff, won by promising to reunite a divided country. His priorities, as he announced during the election campaign, are the fight against poverty and investments in education and health, as well as stopping deforestation of the Amazon forest. The support of some moderate formations was fundamental to him, which he then included in his government (unleashing some controversy given thehigh percentage of white men that make up the list)

In fact, the circle of the new president’s misfortunes also closes. Lula, in fact, returns to the presidency afterwards long judicial troubles: has been convicted twice of corruption and spent 580 days in jail. The sentences were then overturned by the Supreme Court for procedural errors and why trials were piloted with political endsfirst of all that of preventing Lula from running again for the 2018 presidential elections, won by Bolsonaro.

In the speech delivered after the oath, the president guaranteed that Brazil “can and must be at the forefront of the global economy”. No other country, he stressed, “has the conditions of Brazil to become a major environmental power. We will begin the energy and ecological transition to sustainable agriculture and mining, stronger family farming and greener industry.” Lula also drew a disastrous “balance sheet” of the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. “The analysis we have received from the Transitional Cabinet,” she said, “is appalling. They have emptied healthcare resources. They have dismantled Education, Culture, Science and Technology. They destroyed environmental protection. They have left no resources for school canteens, vaccinations, public safety.It is on these terrible ruins that I make the commitment, with the Brazilian people, to rebuild the country and make a Brazil of all and for all again.».