Tens of thousands of people flocked to the Brazilian capital to attend the inauguration of the new president, Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva.
The veteran left returned for a third term after defeating far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in October’s elections.
Crowds gathered near the Seat of Power in Brasilia on Sunday paraded in carnival-style flares, waving giant red and rainbow flags and singing at the top of their lungs.
A group of indigenous dancers covered in body paint played traditional percussion instruments and sang.
“Shake your maracas. Life gets better when Lula is president,” their song played, repeating the charismatic but controversial ex-president’s promise to “make Brazil happy again.” .
Indigenous groups were among the biggest critics of Bolsonaro, who pushed the opening of protected reservations to mining and presided over the surge in destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
“I hate Bolsonaro, so I came to see Lula’s inauguration. I put on my decorations and spoke through an interpreter.
Fans from all over the country lined up to get through the heavily guarded cordon around the presidential palace and parliament, chanting loudly “Lula, Guerreiro, Guerreiro, Brasileiro!” as they waited. I cried. (Lula, Brazilian warrior).
Most were dressed in red for Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT). But 15-year-old Sofia de Souza Martins wore the Brazilian yellow and green outfit that Bolsonaro’s supporters claimed as their symbol.
“These colors belong to everyone,” said a high school student from São Paulo who traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers (over 600 miles) by bus for the event. .
