Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Lula da Silva for assuming office as Brazil’s President after defeating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the tightest presidential race in decades.

“Hearty congratulations to @LulaOficial on assuming office as the President of Brazil. I wish him a successful third term and look forward to working with him to strengthen India – Brazil Strategic Partnership,” PM Modi tweeted. After alleged threats of violence by followers of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, the inauguration was held with increased security. The ceremony kicked off with a vehicle procession, musical performances, and a speech by a member of the Workers Party (PT).

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“Our message to Brazil is one of hope and reconstruction,” Lula said in a speech in Congress’ Lower House after signing the document that formally instated him as president, according to Al Jazeera.

“The great edifice of rights, sovereignty, and development that this nation built has been systematically demolished in recent years. And to re-erect this edifice, we are going to direct all our efforts,” he added.

Silva also promised to fight to improve life for poor Brazilians, work towards racial and gender equality, and achieve zero deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Silva emerged as the country’s new president in October 2022. Widely known as “Lula”, the politician gained 50.83 per cent of the votes, with over 98 per cent of the votes counted in a fiercely contested run-off election on Sunday whereas his opponent Bolsonaro managed to get 49.17 per cent votes.

Earlier on October 2, CNN reported that none of the candidates could hit the 5 per cent mark needed to win in the first round. The presidential candidates also voted on Sunday as Lula cast his vote at a public school in the Sao Paulo metro Area and Bolsonaro cast his ballot in Rio de Janeiro early Sunday morning.
Notably, this year’s elections allowed for the eligibility of more than 156 million people to cast their votes.

The 76-year-old Lula concentrated his campaign on removing Bolsonaro from government and touted his prior successes all through it. During his candidature, he advocated for a new tax structure that would increase public spending. He has vowed to eradicate the nation’s hunger, which resurfaced during the Bolsonaro administration.

Whereas, Bolsonaro, 67, ran for re-election under the conservative Liberal Party. He campaigned to increase mining, privatize public companies, and generate more sustainable energy to bring down energy prices.

Moreover, Lula is also no stranger to controversy. He was convicted for corruption and money laundering in 2017, on charges stemming from the wide-ranging ‘Operation Car Wash’ investigation into the state-run oil company Petrobras.

But after serving less than two years, a Supreme Court Justice annulled Lula’s conviction in March 2021, clearing the way for him to run for president for the sixth time.