VOA News 01 Jan 2003, 22:25 UTC

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been sworn in as Brazil's first elected leftist president.

President da Silva was inaugurated Wednesday in Brasilia, pledging to fight hunger, create jobs and unite the countries of South America for common goals.

In his inaugural speech to Congress, the 57-year-old president cited his own childhood struggle against poverty. Choking back tears, he vowed to ease the burden of 50 million Brazilians still living in poverty, but said it will take time to keep that promise.

Mr. da Silva blamed the policies of his predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, for the economic problems plaguing the nation of 170-million people. The new government faces the challenges of rising inflation and a $260 billion debt.

President da Silva delivered his inaugural speech before scores of invited guests, who included Cuban President Fidel Castro, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Eduardo Duhalde of Argentina. The United States sent a delegation led by Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.

Mr. da Silva traveled to his inauguration in a Rolls-Royce convertible as thousands of Brazilians massed in the streets chanted his name and waved flags. Giant television screens were also set up along the city's main avenue in order for the crowds to view the festivities.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

By ALAN CLENDENNING Associated Press Writer

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)--Brazil's first elected leftist president took office Wednesday, pledging to ease the agony of countless impoverished and hungry Brazilians who inhabit South America's biggest country--a fertile land the size of the continental United States.

Choking back tears as he spoke to an estimated 200,000 supporters, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said there was no excuse for hunger among any of Brazil's estimated 50 million poor.

``If at the end of my mandate all Brazilians have the possibility to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, I will have fulfilled the mission of my life,'' said the former union leader and head of the Workers Party.

Silva warned, however, that the task would be difficult. Brazil's weakened economy has produced double-digit inflation and a currency that lost 35 percent of its value against the dollar last year.

``No one can reap the fruit before planting the trees,'' Silva said.

As Silva began to speak before Congress, the masses who were jammed in a huge park outside danced and chanted ``Lula! Lula!'' _ as Silva is popularly known.

Then they fell silent, transformed as if listening to a sermon from one of their own, as indeed he was--the son of a dirt-poor farmer who dropped out of the fifth grade to shine shoes and sell peanuts. The scene was in stark contrast to previous Brazilian inaugurations, when the crowds never numbered more than 30,000.

Silva said he would fight inflation, reduce corruption, boost efforts to give land to the poor and negotiate hard with the United States over the terms of a hemisphere-wide free trade agreement.

Psychiatry professor Maria Aparecida Gussi and her 13-year-old daughter cried during the speech, but said their tears were from joy.

All I want is a better Brazil for my children, and he's giving us that hope,'' Gussi said. The hope that it will be better.''

After the swearing-in and speech before Congress, Silva ascended a ramp to the presidential building, and accepted from outgoing President Fernando Fernando Henrique Cardoso the revered symbol of the presidency--a sash with the green, blue and yellow colors of the Brazilian flag.

Earlier, a man burst through barricades to hug Silva while he stood smiling and waving from the convertible Rolls-Royce that drove him to the inaugural.

Just before Silva walked on a red carpet into Congress, several young people broke through police lines near an artificial lake, jumping into the water to be closer to their future president.

Leaders and representatives of 119 countries--including presidents of seven other Latin American nations--attended the inauguration. Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez watched from the front row of Congress as Silva was sworn in.

Silva counts them as friends, and will have breakfast Thursday with Chavez and lunch with Castro, who looked healthy and showed no signs of difficulty walking after recovering from a serious leg infection. Castro last month spent nearly two weeks out of sight while undergoing treatment.

The United States sent U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. He and Sen. Michael Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, met Wednesday morning for an hour with Antonio Palocci, Silva's finance minister.

``It was a listen-and-learn visit, in which the basic economic problems of Brazil were discussed,'' Zoellick said in a statement.

Silva, 57, takes over from Cardoso in Brazil's first transition between two democratically elected presidents in more than 40 years. He is Brazil's 36th president.

The country's last leftist president, Joao Goulart, got the job in 1961 after elected President Janio Quadros unexpectedly resigned. Goulart's presidency was characterized by a polarization of Brazil's society that led to a military coup in 1964.

A former radical who used to espouse socialism, Silva was jailed during Brazil's dictatorship, which lasted until 1985. He won the presidency in a landslide in October on his fourth try since 1989.

Silva has taken pains to tell voters that it may be difficult during his first four-year term to keep his promises of creating millions of jobs and ending hunger. He will be up for re-election in 2006.

People watching the ceremony said Silva is up to the job but will have a tough time keeping his campaign promises.

``I hope he's going to change things, but it's a huge challenge for him,'' said Fabiane Cristina, a 20-year-old baby sitter who lives in Brasilia.

Federal police estimated the crowd at 200,000 or more, according to the Web site of O Globo, a Rio de Janeiro newspaper.

In a break with tradition, organizers set up huge TV screens in the park and a stage where Brazilian pop groups started playing hours before the inauguration. Hundreds of outdoor stalls sold everything from grilled pork and beer to T-shirts.

Brazilian pop music superstar Gilberto Gil, who will serve as Silva's cultural minister, was one of the first to play.

``Viva Lula!'' Gil shouted to thunderous applause. After the concert, the dreadlocked Gil donned a dark suit and was sworn in at the presidential offices with the rest of Silva's ministers.

02.01.2003 10.46 am

BRASILIA, Brazil - Former metalworker Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva became Brazil's first working-class president on Wednesday, (Thursday NZT) as tens of thousands celebrated the historic changeover in Latin America's largest country.

At the sleek, modernist Congress in the capital, Brasilia, Lula took the oath of office as the first leftist elected to the presidency. Supporters from across the nation cheered outside as he promised to change the country's course to improve the lot of Brazil's working majority.

He cited his own struggle against poverty as proof that the continent-sized nation had the resources to overcome a long list of problems including escalating crime, a stagnating economy and rising unemployment.

"When I see my own life as an immigrant from the Northeast, a boy who sold peanuts and oranges at the port of Santos... who is now the president, I am convinced we can do much more, and to do so all we need is to believe in ourselves," Lula said. "We are starting a new chapter in Brazil's history."

Before reaching the convertible Rolls Royce that took him to receive the presidential sash from outgoing President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Lula was mobbed by cheering fans.

It was the first time in 40 years an elected president passed the sash to another elected president.

Some broke through police guards simply to touch their new leader, while one stubborn supporter stopped Lula long enough to snap a picture alongside the gray bearded 57-year-old, who took the oath in a dark suit and striped tie.

With the humble classes that gave him a record-breaking 52 million votes in his fourth attempt at the presidency in mind, Lula organized a party for the people rather than for dignitaries.

Despite rain, festivities kicked off early with country music. More than 150,000 people were expected to converge on the city's central lawn for celebrations.

At the stark, white Planalto presidential palace, Cardoso capped off his second four-year term by handing Lula the sash decorated with the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag.

As Air Force planes swooped in formation over the city, revelers celebrated as they would for Brazil's world-famous soccer victories, driving along the sweeping avenues of the capital, honking horns, and dancing in a sea of green, yellow and deep red, the color of Lula's leftist Workers' Party.

In a country with one of the worst wealth distributions in the world, only surpassed by three African nations, the arrival of a man who never made it past elementary school to the highest office heralded a new beginning for the nation's 170 million people, 53 million of whom live in poverty.

Many of those present spent days on Brazil's bumpy highways, including Lula's 21 relatives from his poor hometown of Caetes, a caravan that drew cheers along the 2400km journey.

Although the New Year's holiday kept some heads of state from attending, most presidents from neighbouring countries were on hand, including Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, two leftists who have supported Lula in his long quest for the presidency.

The world will watch Lula's management of a nation now seen as a model of democracy in a region troubled by political upheaval, particularly in neighboring Argentina and Venezuela.

• REUTERS

By HAROLD OLMOS | Associated Press 01/01/2003

Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his vice-President Jose Alencar wave en route to the National Congress to be sworn in as Brazil's President. - AP | Victor Caivano RASILIA, Brazil—Latin America's biggest nation marked a dramatic change in leadership Wednesday with the inauguration of a former shoeshine boy as Brazil's first elected leftist president.

A beaming Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took the oath of office in Brazil's Congress as tens of thousands of working class Brazilians cheered the elementary school dropout who went on to become a union leader and the head of Brazil's Workers Party.

As Silva traveled to Congress in the back of a convertible Rolls-Royce, a sea people of chanted "Lula! Lula!" and raised red flags bearing the color his party in the air.

Silva, dressed in a dark suit and blue tie, stood in the back of a car, smiling and waving to the crowd. He is popularly known as Lula. At one point, a horse carrying one of the country's presidential military guards apparently was frightened and fell to the ground in front of the car before being raised by its rider.

The incident only briefly interrupted Silva's trip down Esplanada de Ministerios to Congress.

A short time later, security guards pushed away a man who broke through barriers, rushed to the car and hugged Silva. The incoming president let the man hug him, then continued waving to the crowd.

And just before Silva walked on a red carpet into Congress, several young people broke through police lines at the side of an artificial lake, jumping into the water to be closer to the future president.

Leaders and representatives of 119 countries - including Cuban leader Fidel Castro and presidents of six other Latin American nations - were attending the inauguration.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived Wednesday morning in Brasilia, the capital, leaving behind a crippling strike in his country that has virtually paralyzed oil production for the world's fifth largest exporter.

But the most prominent guest was Cuban President Fidel Castro. Castro, 76, looked healthy and in good spirits after recovering from a serious leg infection that kept him out of sight in Cuba for two weeks last month.

As he entered a Brasilia hotel, Castro waved to photographers and said that he was happy Cuba no longer holds the "monopoly of Jan. 1," the day that Cubans celebrate the revolution that brought Castro to power.

Silva counts Castro and Chavez among his friends. On Thursday, Silva plans to have breakfast with Chavez and lunch with Castro. The United States sent U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. Zoellick and Sen. Michael Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, met Wednesday morning for an hour with Antonio Palocci, Silva's finance minister.

"It was a listen and learn visit, in which the basic economic problems of Brazil were discussed," Zoellick said in a statement. Silva, 57, takes over from Fernando Henrique Cardoso in Brazil's first transition between two democratically elected presidents in over 40 years. He will be Brazil's 36th president.

A former radical who used to espouse socialism, Silva has promised to end hunger and economic misery in a country where an estimated 50 million of the 175 million citizens live in poverty. But he faces huge challenges: inflation has crept into the double digits for the first time in years, and a regional economic crisis that has plunged Brazil's neighbors into financial chaos.

Brazil's currency, the real, lost 35 percent of its value against the dollar last year, reflecting investor concern over whether Silva will keep his pledge of financing the country's large foreign debt burden - or whether Brazil will default, as Argentina did a year ago. People watching the ceremony said Silva is up to the job but will have a tough time keeping his campaign promises.

"I hope he's going to change things, but it's a huge challenge for him," said Fabiane Cristina, a 20-year-old baby sitter who lives in Brasilia.

In a break with tradition, organizers set up huge TV screens in the park and a stage where Brazilian pop groups started playing hours before the inauguration. Hundreds of outdoor stalls sold everything from grilled pork and beer to T-shirts.

Brazilian pop music superstar Gilberto Gil, who will serve as Silva's cultural minister, was one of the first to play.

"Viva Lula!" Gil shouted to thunderous applause from people waving red flags and dressed in the red and white of Silva's party. After a 14-hour bus ride from the financial capital, Sao Paulo, musician Joao Carlos Souza stretched his legs and changed into a bright red T-shirt reading "100 percent Lula."

Souza said he'd never been to a Brazilian inauguration before because the previous events "were for people in suits drinking champagne."

"This time, it's going to be fun to participate in history," he said.

     BRASILIA, Brazil, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office Wednesday as the president of Brazil, Latin America's largest country. Known as Lula, the 57-year-old was sworn in at Congress amid cheers from his countrymen.

     "I am the No. 1 public servant of my country," Lula said in his speech, according to O Globo newspaper in its Wednesday edition on its Web site.

     He said he doesn't believe in sudden changes although the hallmark of his government will be change, according to O Globo, quoting him as saying, "We must walk with thought and solid steps." During his campaign, Lula pledged to reduce hunger in Brazil, a nation of some 170 million, with many of them living in poverty.

     Some have doubts regarding Lula's ability to govern, particularly when it comes to dealing with Brazil's $230 billion in foreign debt, and there is speculation as to whether he might default on it.

     Lula captured the presidency by winning the runoff election Oct. 27. He is Brazil's first leftist president, and succeeds Fernando Henrique Cardoso.