The rolls royce ride uncovered, a classic in the tradition of the inauguration of Brazilian presidents, is now under close scrutinyby the security teams of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Instead, in the historic ceremony of this January 1st, there would be an option a closed and armored car. It is a security decision but it also implies a strong political charge, hence the discussion on how to proceed.

Everything is a consequence of the tension that is experienced here already very obvious threats flying over the imminent swearing-in for the third time of the PT leader and in a city where coup marches in front of the barracks have intensified.

The latest data on the arrest of an individual who was preparing this Saturday a terrorist attack looking from force a chaos suspending the ceremony, constituted the confirmation that something serious could happen in this event which will also bring together a large handful of dignitaries from the region and the rest of the world.

Another point discussed is the participation or not of Lula in a show to be held at Esplanade two ministries with an ongoing show featuring more than 20 different shows, reported this Tuesday Folha de São Paulo.

In addition to the concern for the safety of the PT, the presence of the president is also taken into account it may delay other appointments scheduled for the inauguration by creating situations on the fly on the security scheme.

Worry has objective characteristics. Attack disabled this Saturday consisted of a powerful explosive device placed in a fuel tanker vehicle.

He did this before the vehicle arrived at the airport of the capital of Brazil, where the defendant intended to blow it up. On the same day, the authorities confiscated several weapons and ammunition from the home of the alleged perpetrator of the threats.

More were discovered on Sunday evening 40 kilos of explosives in one of Brasilia’s satellite cities, but authorities have not established whether the cases are related. Everything coincides too much with the timing of the ceremony.

The terrorist, a 54-year-old man detained and identified as George Washington de Oliveira Sousa, admitted to planning the attacks with other “bolsonarists” who are camped in front of the army headquarters in the country’s capital a ask the military for a coup to prevent the investiture of Lula.

This is a fanatic who repeated the slogans that are permanent slogans in coup marches, “prevent the establishment of communism” in Brazil.

The idea that Lula is a communist he drilled it insistently in the electoral campaign the outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro, who from the defeat in the October runoff, did not recognize the victory of the PT leader.

Bolsonaro would not be at the ceremony​

He even anticipated that, as Cristina Kirchner did with Mauricio Macri or the US populist tycoon Donald Trump with Joe Biden, will not participate in the delivery ceremony. The version is that Bolsonaro will take refuge from this week in the residence of the former US president in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

Lula won the election with a minimum of 1.8% of the vote, a figure of strong political polarization in the country. Enormous potential remained in the opposition, giving the right-wing leader an historic harvest of votes.

A sector of those voters, including an important mass of ultra-evangelicals but also popular sectors, bought the version that there was a fraud in the elections, the result of which, however, was immediately recognized by Bolsonaro’s cabinet, the Armed Forces. and governors.

Allies of the defeated Brazilian populist leader, such as those in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro or Minas Gerais, have also recognized Lula’s victory.

On December 12, when Lula da Silva received his diplomas from the courts that accredited him as the new president, serious incidents occurred in the north of Brasilia, near the hotel where the PT leader is staying with cars on fire.

Since his arrival in Brasilia, this correspondent has heard the repeated comment among taxi drivers and people from other unions, who harbor these suspicions.

They add the idea that Lula will cause havoc in the country “like Cristina Kichner in Argentina”, a very frequent comment when it is detected that it is an Argentinean being spoken to.

Security reinforcement

With these premises, Lula’s security teams coordinate in these hours kill protesters and increased security for January 1, including changes to the traditional format of this important ceremony. A provision provides for it the increase in the number of the military police and even create a more apparent protocol for population registration.

One of the changes in the study to the original project concerns precisely the traditional caravan ride of the president just hired in the Rolls Royce convertible. That journey is usually made with the vehicle surrounded by a slow-marching ceremonial guard to make it easier for people to greet the president from sidewalks.

There are two scenarios that experts would be studying. The one in which the self-discovery would still serve to show a political signal towards the rioters who insist on invoking a coup, but is dominant, the alternative is to leave it aside this time and use a closed and armored car.

“The decision will be judged based on the situation of political animosity e the risks mapped during the day. Weather conditions will also be taken into account, as rain is forecast in Brasilia for the day,” said the São Paulo newspaper.

Sources linked to the Ministry of Public Security of the Federal District quoted by the press say that the work program for the opening day is extensive and includes the inspection of all persons enter the Esplanade of the Ministries.

Moreover, there will still be points with metal detectors and surveillance, with all Military Police available to act during the event. The rehearsals for the ceremony will be repeated until the weekend, the last one next Friday which will feature a convertible car.

The security plan also envisages trying to put an end to the undemocratic acts taking place in front of the military barracks.

In his reporting, Folha pointed out that members of the government of the Federal District have contacted the army in the past two days to request more effective action by the military in the case of protesters camping in front of the army headquarters in Brasilia .

“The generals interviewed by Folha, however, affirm that they are working on a demobilization plan, the focus of which is the dismantling of tents and portable toilets for next Friday.” They believe that, in this way, Bolsonaro supporters should leave room.

Brasilia. Special delivery

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