He vowed to make the country "happy again".

Lula begins a new term as President of Brazil with the challenges of division, poverty and the economy

• Huge challenges await the new Brazilian president.

  A.F.B

• Fighting poverty and redressing the marginalized is Lula's first priority.

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On Sunday, left-wing Brazilian President Lula da Silva began a third term full of challenges, represented by bringing together a divided country, bringing it back to the gatherings of nations, and fighting poverty and hunger, with an exhausted economy after his government became ready to start work.

A “tremendous task” awaits Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the head of a major emerging country of 215 million people, according to his deputy, Geraldo Alcmene.

According to Lula's transitional team, four years of "irresponsible management" under Jair Bolsonaro's leadership have left Brazil in dire straits, with "lack" of materials and "backwards" in many sectors: political, social, education, health and the environment.

Lula's government was the longest in formation, 32 years ago.

It took weeks of thorny negotiations to accommodate the left-wing allies who made his election possible, but also the center he needed to support him in Congress.

The House of Representatives and the Senate, which emerged from the October elections, are still from the right, but analysts believe that this will not prevent the pragmatic Lula from ruling, thanks to his alliances from the far left to the center right.

Millions have chosen others

Lula vowed to make “Brazil happy again,” as he prepares to take power in a country where he must satisfy 58 million of its voters, who did not vote for him.

His conviction on charges of corruption, of which he was acquitted at a later stage, made him shunned by a large section of Brazilians, and kept the elections competitive until the last breath.

While many Brazilians have fond memories of the economic boom in Lula's first two terms of 2003 and 2010, others chose to vote for him simply to remove Bolsonaro from power.

The elections ended with a narrow difference between the two men, as Lula won 50.9% of the vote, compared to 49.1% for the outgoing president.

Although two months have passed since the polls, Bolsonaro's supporters are still gathering outside the military barracks, demanding the army's intervention to prevent Lula's inauguration.

If he takes the advice of his transition team, Lula's priorities will be issues such as ending the environmental destruction that flourished under his more business-oriented predecessor, improving the underfunded education system, and addressing the absence of racial justice.

He should also work to reduce the possession of firearms, which increased dramatically under his pro-Bolsonaro predecessor.

international presence

On the international scene, Lula finds himself faced with the task of reconciling Brazil with its allies, who have been alienated by the hard-line conservative and controversial Bolsonaro.

Lula's transitional team believes that the country has "lost its glory" internationally over the past four years.

Brasilia owes nearly $1 billion in unpaid contributions to organizations including the United Nations.

Lula can count on personal “charisma” on the international level, as he is widely appreciated, and former US President Barack Obama described him as “the most popular politician on earth.”

The international community expects Lula to take serious steps in the field of climate and environment, the first of which is strengthening the protection of the Amazon forest.

At the COP27 climate conference in November, the new president pledged to do "whatever is necessary" to zero desertification and end ecosystem degradation by 2030.

However, in order to achieve this, he needs to revitalize the oversight bodies that have lost their role during the Bolsonaro era, and stop illegal logging and mining activities, in a way that does not arouse the ire of the agribusiness lobby, which is a major ally of his predecessor.

the poorest

The economic and social situation of Brazil will be a major challenge for Lula, who stressed that his priority is "concern for the poorest."

In a welcome first step, Congress finally approved a constitutional amendment allowing Lula to fund his campaign promises, at least for a year.

Despite the ceilings imposed on public spending, the move allows Lula to increase what is known as the "Bolsa Familia", which is social assistance for the poorest families, in addition to the minimum wage.

About 125 million Brazilians suffer from food insecurity, while 30 million suffer from hunger, knowing that the last figure corresponds to the number of those who are attributed to Lula for lifting them out of poverty during his two terms.

And budget constraints "will be Lula's biggest challenge in the coming years," says Golson Sampaio, a researcher at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, as he must "increase spending without hoping for (increased) parallel revenues and strive not to raise taxes."

Markets fear that public debt will spiral out of control under the leftist president, which currently represents 77% of GDP.

Alex Agostini, chief economist at Austin Ratings, believes that "the new administration must propose an effective framework for budget control," with the aim of "avoiding a loss of confidence that will have an impact on the economy."

Lula, a former iron worker and hero of the working class in the eyes of many, will also have to maintain the declining rate of the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 8.3%, the lowest since 2015.

And whoever was elected by economic concerns must also keep inflation under control even in light of the global economic slowdown, according to Agostini.

• While many Brazilians have fond memories of the economic boom in Lula's first two terms of 2003 and 2010, others chose to vote for him just to remove Bolsonaro from power.

• About 125 million Brazilians suffer from food insecurity, while 30 million suffer from hunger, bearing in mind that the last figure corresponds to the number of those whom Lula credits for lifting them out of poverty during his two terms.

• Lula can count on personal "charisma" on the international level, as he is widely appreciated, and former US President Barack Obama described him as "the most popular politician on earth."

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