Voters and legislators may view the first 100 days of a new administration as a type of honeymoon in which they anticipate a fresh start. Nevertheless, for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the last three months have been marked by weariness despite some indications of progress.
Lula’s performance in the social sphere has been impressive, as he has reinstated programs aimed at fortifying low-income housing, water delivery, and financial assistance for destitute families.
Analysts argue social welfare and Indigenous rights are improving too slowly.
Lula reinstituted the National Council for Food and Nutritional Security, which had been disbanded by former President Jair Bolsonaro following Brazil’s dismal return to the World Food Programme’s Hunger Map, with more than 33 million Brazilians going famished in 2018.
Rosangela de Fatima Silva, who resides in the southeastern city of Diamantina and works at a kitchen serving local housing activists, told Al Jazeera, “We can see that he wishes to do positive things for the poor, which the former president did not do.”
However, governing has not been a simple endeavor. According to analysts, the nature of Lula’s coalition administration poses a number of internal contradictions, and without a firm basis in parliament, it may be difficult to approve certain projects.
In addition, the January 8 storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro supporters exposed the apparent animosity towards Lula within certain echelons of the country’s security services, resulting in a surge of dismissals for their alleged inaction.
Evandro Menezes de Carvalho, coordinator of the Center for Brazil-China Studies at the Getulio Vargas Foundation School of Law in Rio de Janeiro, told Al Jazeera that Lula 3.0 is distinct from Lula 1.0 and Lula 2.0.
As he returns to office, Lula discovers a more conservative Congress and society than during his previous mandates. “Their agenda differs significantly from that of the Workers’ Party,” he added. “Lula is no longer as popular as he once was, and Brazil’s economy has changed.”
Political resources
Indeed, Lula has depleted his political capital through his crusade against the Central Bank over interest rates, calling into doubt the autonomy of the institution under his predecessor. Simultaneously, he has been criticized for underestimating
both allegations of corruption against his minister of communications and allegations of ties between his minister of tourism and the local militia. The two ministers have rejected the allegations as falsehoods.