Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and José Alencar were inaugurated as 35th president of Brazil and 23rd vice president, respectively, on 1 January 2003, in a ceremony held in the National Congress in Brasília, beginning the new Lula administration. In this occasion, it was the first time since redemocratization in 1985 that a president elect by the direct vote delivered the presidential sash to his successor also elected by the direct vote.
Foreign attendance
The following representatives or higher-rank officials attended Lula's inauguration:
– President Eduardo Duhalde
– President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
– MP for Kingston and the Islands and Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken and MP for Edmonton–Strathcoma Rahim Jaffer – President Ricardo Lagos – President Fidel Castro – President-elect Lucio Gutierrez – Secretary of State for Tourism Léon Bertrand – Prime Minister Sam Hinds – Prime Minister Mário Pires – President Joaquim Chissano – President Luis González Macchi – President Alejandro Toledo – President Jorge Sampaio – Heir Prince Felipe VI – Prime Minister Göran Persson – U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs John Maisto and U.S. Senator from Wyoming Mike Enzi – President Jorge Batlle – President Hugo Chávez