The King will attend Lula's inauguration tomorrow accompanied by Yolanda Díaz and Albares

Don Felipe will meet with the new president of Brazil on Monday

MADRID, 31 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

King Felipe VI, accompanied by the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, will attend this Sunday the inauguration ceremony of Luiz Inazio Lula da Silva as the new president of Brazil.

As highlighted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the attendance of the monarch together with the vice president and the head of diplomacy "reaffirms Spain's will to continue strengthening the solid ties of friendship" that unite the two countries and that "are accompanied by some shared values ​​that redound to the benefit of our citizens".

In addition to attending the ceremony held at the Planalto Palace, which the outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro is expected to not attend, the monarch will already hold a meeting with Lula on Monday at the Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. , as reported by Zarzuela.

On this occasion, a meeting with the outgoing president has not been included in the agenda, as has been customary in other transfers of power, although the Brazilian press has indicated that Bolsonaro, who lost his reelection to Lula, will be in the United States coinciding with with these acts.

Don Felipe has traditionally attended, with few exceptions, the inaugurations of Ibero-American leaders, first as Prince of Asturias and then after ascending the throne. In total, since 2014 he has attended ten of these events at the head of the Spanish representation, four of them in 2022 --Honduras, Chile, Costa Rica and Colombia--.

However, the fact that in Brazil the inauguration takes place on January 1 has meant that on some occasions the representation by Spain has been headed by a lower-ranking position.

This was the case in 2019 when Jair Bolsonaro accessed the Planalto Palace, although in this case the lack of harmony with the Pedro Sánchez government also had an influence. On that occasion, it was the then president of Congress, Ana Pastor, who attended.

Don Felipe, still Prince of Asturias, did attend the inauguration of Dilma Roussef in 2011 but not when she was re-elected and took office in 2014. Then, the Spanish representation fell to the ambassador in Brasilia.

Lula's will be the last presidential inauguration in Brazil on January 1. Last year, Congress and the Senate approved a constitutional amendment under which the presidential term will begin on January 4 from 2027, when the new president's successor should take office.

Before the transfer of powers, the King will take the opportunity to hold a meeting with a representation of the Spanish colony in Brasilia as well as a lunch with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who will also travel to Brazil for the occasion.