The turbulent 100 days of the Lula government in Brazil: from the control of the barracks to social gestures

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, celebrate 100 days in power this Mondayat the beginning of the most turbulent government in the country’s recent history, due to the coup attempt perpetrated by far-right militants.

The violent invasion of Bolsonaro’s mafia on 8 January not only caused extensive damage to the headquarters of the three powers of the Republic, but also forced the new government, a week after assuming power, to change your priorities concentrate its efforts on dispelling possible new threats to democracy.

Lula had to devote several weeks to giving his full attention to the leaders of the Armed Forces and other security forces, to insist “depoliticize” dashboards.

He replaced some commanders too close to his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, including the now former army commander, General Júlio César Arruda.

Since then, the new president he has multiplied his meetings with military leaders and it has been lavished on military acts, with the aim of recovering an institutional normality put on fire during the four years of hegemony of the extreme right.

social programs

The incipient de-bolsonization of institutions, a process that could still be extended, went hand in hand with Lula’s “obsession” -in his own words- with resume social policies who have had an impact on poverty reduction in the past and who were buried by Jair Bolsonaro.

Among others, recovered the Bolsa Família, the main subsidy program for the poor, namely the popular Mi Casa Mi Vida housing program.

His handling of gestures has permeated even the social groups most mistreated by the extreme right, such as women, sexual and racial minoritiesespecially towards the natives, to whom he dedicated a ministry for the first time.

Among the gestures, he named 11 women to lead a total of 38 ministries, the highest percentage of female ministers in Brazil’s history.

Foreign policy

Another of Lula’s great deviations occurred in foreign policy, in which he had a hectic schedulein contrast to the isolation of its predecessor.

In these 100 days he went to Argentina for the CELAC summit; in Uruguay and the United States, and due to illness he had to postpone a trip to China and the United Arab Emirates, which he will make next week.

Also has reactivated relations with Venezuelasuspended by Bolsonaro, and rejoined the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), from which Brazil seceded in 2019.

Much of Lula’s foreign policy has focused on returning to promote international agreements aimed at protecting the Amazon forest, especially after the reactivation of the Amazon Fund, financed by Norway and Germany and to which other countries could join.

The economy

Lula has announced that from now on his attention will be completely focused on the economy, a sector that does not exist for the moment It has generated more headaches than progress.

The Government’s friction with the Central Bank has been constant, due to the high level of interest rates (13.75%), which have managed to curb inflation, but as a side effect They have slowed growth and the job market.

But the issuing body, which enjoys full autonomy, has not yet succumbed to the constant pressures that have come from Lula himself and his finance minister, Fernando Haddad, and he refused to moderate rates due to fears of a possible lack of price controls.

The Government managed to present a project to establish some of them new tax ruleswhich provide for a more flexible spending ceiling, but its approval will depend on the national Congress.

These tax rules, which will be necessary to be able to increase spending on social programs, will also be linked to a future far-reaching tax reform that the Government is preparing and which will also have to go through a still uncertain process in the Legislative.

EFE Agency