Lula ditches Maduro at his inauguration; understand why

• He would not have attended the inauguration of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro

• The decision came as a result of the decision of Jair Bolsonaro, who cut ties with the South American country.

• However, the ceremony should break a record for the participation of foreign leaders in Brazil

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) He withdrew from the presence of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at his inauguration on January 1, in Brasilia.

According to information on UOL’s Jamil Chad blog, the decision was sent to the Venezuelan government by Itamaraty and was well received by Maduro.

reason to withdraw

The absence of the Venezuelan president will be due to a measure not by the new Brazilian CEO, but by his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Which imposed a siege on Maduro and his advisors in Brazilian territory.

With the impediment set by Bolsonaro, the team that was preparing for Maduro’s arrival in Brasilia is prohibited from coming to the country and organizing the reception of the Venezuelan President, which will take place on the first day.

A new resolution, releasing Maduro and his advisers from entering, will have to be issued in a hurry, it was even negotiated by the transitional team with the Bolsonaro government, but was rejected.

Lula’s transition team released a document criticizing Bolsonaro’s action. “By betting on Venezuela’s isolation, Brazil made a strategic mistake by turning South America into a stage of geopolitical conflict between the United States, Russia and China. From a catalyst for integration processes, the country has become a factor of regional instability.”

Ceremony will have a record of leaders

Despite Maduro’s absence, almost all of South America will be represented at Lula’s inauguration. In addition to Venezuela, only Peru, which is in deep political crisis, has not yet indicated that it will send a leader.

The event would break the record as a celebration featuring the largest number of foreign leaders in Brazilian history. Until the last day 14, representatives of 22 countries have already confirmed their presence, but the trend is that more than 30 countries are in Brasilia.

Read on

The names confirmed so far are:

• Frank-Walter Steinmeier (President of Germany)

• Joao Lourenco (President of Angola)

• Alberto Fernandez (President of Argentina)

• Luis Arce (President of Bolivia)

• Jose Maria Neves (President of Cape Verde)

• Gabriel Boric (Chilean President)

• Gustavo Petro (President of Colombia)

• Rodolfo Solano (Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs)

• Guillermo Laso (President of Ecuador)

• King Philip VI of Spain

• Irfan Ali (President of Guyana)

• Umaro Sissoko Empalo (President of Guinea-Bissau)

• Luis Federegari (Mexico Minister of Foreign Affairs)

• Riyad Al-Maliki (Foreign Minister of Palestine)

• Jose Gabriel Carrizo (Vice President of Panama)

• Mario Abdo Benitez (President of Paraguay)

• Marcelo Rebelo de Souza (President of Portugal)

• Chan Santokhi (President of Suriname)

• Jose Ramos-Horta (President of East Timor)

• Mevlut Cavusoglu (Foreign Minister of Turkey)

• Luis Alberto Lacalle Poe (President of Uruguay)

• Emmerson Mnangago (President of Zimbabwe)