Brazil: Lula celebrates six months of government with opposition uprising and tensions with Congress

President Brazilian, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvacelebrates six months in power this Saturday, in which he has overcome a coup by sympathizers bolsonaristasrecovered the social programs of his previous mandates and restored institutional stability to the country, despite the tensions with Congress.

On January 8, just a week after the progressive leader assumed his third term as head of state of Brazil, after two consecutive four-year terms between 2003 and 2010, Lula was surprised by the assault of thousands of radical followers of the former president. and far-right leader Jair Bolsonaror (2019-2022) to the headquarters of the three powers, in an attempt to force a coup.

After three months camped in front of the Army headquarters in the main capitals of the country asking for a military intervention to overthrow Lula, the Bolsonaristas attacked and looted the headquarters of the Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court, but their action was quickly neutralized. and hundreds of invaders ended up in jail, where they await trial.

MINISTERIAL AND INDIGENOUS REFORM

The beginning of Lula’s administration was marked by the reform of the Cabinet and the resurgence of some ministries extinct by Bolsonaro, such as those of Culture and Sports, and the creation of new ones, such as that of Indigenous Peoples.

Also in the first month of his government, Lula encountered the health and humanitarian crisis of the Yanomami people in the Amazon, near the border with Venezuela and where indigenous children died of malnutrition and the consumption of contaminated river water.

In an offensive against illegal mining, the main culprit in the situation due to the use of mercury in the rivers and the devastation of the jungle, Lula ordered the authorities to expel the 20,000 illegal miners who were operating in the area, in an action that it restricted airspace and land and river access to these groups.

The reformulation of some social programs, such as the “Mi Casa, Mi Vida” popular housing program, and the adjustment of the social assistance programs granted with an electoral spirit by Bolsonaro, with the return and expansion of the subsidy distribution program for poor Bolsa Família (family scholarship), once again promoted the social commitment of the progressive leader.

STRAIGHTS WITH CONGRESS AND THE CENTRAL BANK

One of the stumbling blocks that Lula has encountered in his administration in the first six months of his government has been the difficulty in approving the different projects in Congress, widely dominated by the center parties, to which he has had to “conquer”.

The Fiscal Framework Law, proposed by his Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, to guarantee fiscal adjustment, managed to pass the Legislature and reassured the market, fearful of the increase in public spending due to the expansion of the number of ministries and social programs, and for the brake on the privatization model imposed by Bolsonaro.

It has also faced a marked difference with the Central Bank, which, as an autonomous entity, is under the command of an economist indicated by Bolsonaro and which, with the argument of inflationary control, has maintained the basic interest rate at 13.75% per year, a level strongly criticized by Lula for inhibiting economic growth.

FOREIGN POLICY AND REAPPROACHMENT WITH OTHER COUNTRIES

Different from Bolsonaro, who in his four years traveled little and was prevented by the health restrictions of the pandemic, Lula has fulfilled an intense international agenda, in which he has visited eleven countries so far.

Lula’s travels began in January with his participation in Buenos Aires in the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), then he went through Uruguay, the United States, Spain, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, China, the United Kingdom, Japan , France, Italy and the Vatican.

The progressive leader is also trying to stand out internationally as the broker of a possible peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

However, part of the international and Brazilian press has harshly criticized Lula for his views on the war, in which he allegedly reveals his inclination for Russia, and for defending questioned left-wing governments in the region, such as those of Venezuela. -of the one who defends his questioned democracy- and Nicaragua.

Similarly, opinions about Argentina praising his colleague Alberto Fernández for his economic management, advocating for that country before international economic organizations and promising financial aid, have been the target of strong criticism from the opposition.

Source: EFE