With his government ready to get to work, Brazilian President Lula begins a challenging third term on Sunday, bringing together a divided country, bringing it back to the gatherings of nations and fighting poverty and hunger with a exhausted economy

A "titanic task" awaits Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the head of an emerging superstate of 215 million people, said his deputy Geraldo Alckmin.

According to Lula's transition team, four years of "irresponsible management" under the leadership of Jair Bolsonaro have left Brazil in a deplorable state, a "shortage" of materials and a"turning back" in many sectors: political, social, education, health and the environment.

Lula's government has been the longest in formation for 32 years. It took weeks of thorny negotiations to accommodate the leftist allies who got him elected but also the centrists he needed to support in Congress.

The two chambers of Deputies and the Senate that emerged from the October elections are still from the right, but analysts believe that this will not prevent the pragmatist Lula from being able to govern, thanks to his coalitions from the far left to the center right.

Lula has vowed to make "Brazil happy again" as he prepares to take power in a country where he must satisfy the 58 million voters who did not vote for him.

Two months after the vote, Bolsonaro's supporters are still gathering outside the military barracks, demanding the intervention of the army to prevent Lula's inauguration.

If he takes the advice of his transition team, Lula's top priorities will be issues such as ending the environmental destruction that flourished under his business-oriented predecessor, improving the underfunded education system, and addressing the lack of racial justice.

On the international stage, Lula finds himself faced with the task of reconciling Brazil with its allies who were alienated by the hardline and controversial conservative Bolsonaro.

Lula's transition team believes that the country has "lost its ice" internationally over the past four years. Brasilia owes about a billion dollars in unpaid contributions to organizations including the United Nations.

Lula can count on a personal" charisma "at the international level, he is widely appreciated, and former US President Barack Obama called him"the most popular politician on Earth".

The economic and social situation of Brazil will be a fundamental challenge for Lula, who has stressed that his priority is to "take care of the poorest".

In a welcome first step, Congress recently approved a constitutional amendment allowing Lula to fund his election promises, at least for a year.

Despite the ceilings imposed on public spending, the move allows Lula to increase the so-called "Bolsa Familia", which is social assistance to the poorest families, in addition to the minimum wage.