Thousands mass for Lula’s inauguration in tense Brazil

Hundreds of thousands massed in Brazil’s capital Sunday for the inauguration of President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the stalwart of the Latin American left returning to the office he held more than a decade ago.

But the carnival-like party on New Year’s Day came against a tense backdrop, as supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro remain 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 Planalto Palace, where Lula was to be sworn in for a third term as president of Latin America’s most populous country, was a stark reminder of the division in the country he is now tasked with governing.

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 marred by misinformation and disinformation, he will now be expected to unite the nation while keeping campaign promises to rebuild the economy, tackle police brutality and protect the Amazon. Brazil’s fiscal holes will limit his ability to address poverty and hunger.Lula won Brazil’s closest-ever election. That was the easy part.

As he takes office Sunday, one key person was missing. Bolsonaro flew to Florida on Friday with apparent 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.

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.”

 Related video: Lula Da Silva set to be sworn in as President; delegations from 50 nations expected at ceremony (WION)

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 scheduled to work Sunday, along with reinforcements from the federal police and other forces. Access to the event area is to be restricted and all attendees are to be inspected. Objects including cans and glass bottles, fireworks and weapons are prohibited.

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 expected to be a boon for local businesses, but some who might benefit are wary.

Paulo Pereira, a 34-year-old Uber driver, voted for Lula but now fears 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.”Teary Bolsonaro calls loss unfair, condemns violence, flies to Florida

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.

More than 300,000 people were expected to view the inauguration, to be followed by a music festival dubbed “Lulapalooza.”

Lula and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin and their wives are to parade through the city in an open convertible, a 1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. After a ceremony at the Chamber of Deputies, Lula will walk up a ramp to the entrance of the Planalto Palace.

More than 60 foreign representatives and 17 heads of state have confirmed they would be present. 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.”

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, dressed in all red as he gathered 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.”