Lula: “Join Us in a Great Collective Effort Against Inequality”
In a landmark inauguration speech, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva lays out his agenda for a more just Brazil and a new internationalism.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, First Lady Rosangela da Silva, and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin raise their arms at Planalto Palace after their inauguration ceremony at the National Congress in Brasília on January 1, 2023. (Evaristo SA / AFP via Getty Images)
I want to begin by giving a special greeting to each and every one of you, a way of remembering and repaying the affection and strength that I received every day from the Brazilian people represented by the Lula Livre vigil, in one of the most difficult moments of my life.
Today, in one of the happiest days of my life, the greeting I give you could not be any other, so simple and at the same time so full of meaning: Good afternoon, Brazilian people!
My gratitude to you who faced political violence before, during, and after the electoral campaign, who occupied the social networks and took to the streets under sun and rain, even if it was only to win a single precious vote. Who had the courage to wear our shirt, and, at the same time, wave the Brazilian flag when a violent and antidemocratic minority tried to censor our colors and appropriate the green and yellow that belongs to all Brazilian people. To you, who came from all corners of this country, from near or far away, by plane, by bus, by car or in the back of a truck, by motorcycle, by bicycle, and even on foot, in a true caravan of hope for this celebration of democracy.
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