The Hindu : Lula sworn in Brazilian President

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 02, 2003

International

International

Lula sworn in Brazilian President

BRASILIA Jan. 1. Latin America's biggest nation marked a dramatic change in leadership on Wednesday with the inauguration of a former shoeshine boy as Brazil's first elected leftist President.

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.

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

A former radical who used to espouse socialism, Mr. 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.

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