In Brazil, new president promises to tackle hunger.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Patrice M. Jones

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ As drummers and dancers performed in a ceremony dubbed "a party for the people," Brazil's first leftist leader to be elected president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was inaugurated on New Year's Day, ushering in a new era buoyed by hope but marred by deep economic problems in Latin America's largest democracy.

A jubilant da Silva _ who was born into poverty _ stood in the back of a Rolls-Royce convertible Wednesday as a sea of people decked out in Workers' Party colors screamed his name. At times, the frenzied fans broke through a cordon of security officers to touch the man they hope will be the savior of a nation saddled by surging debt, rising unemployment and the poverty that affects nearly a third of its citizens.

A former metalworker, da Silva took the oath of office in the capital, Brasilia, and then delivered an emotional speech to Congress in which he promised to tackle Brazil's many challenges, especially hunger.

"When I see my own life _ a boy who sold peanuts and oranges _ who is now president, I am convinced we can do much more, and to do so all we need is to believe in ourselves," da Silva said. "We are starting a new chapter in Brazil's history."

He promised to "recover the dignity of the Brazilian people" and said he was "fully conscious of the responsibilities" that he and his advisers were assuming. He said he would "bring about change with courage and care, humility and daring" and that creating jobs would be his "obsession."

Representatives from more than 100 countries, including Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuela's embattled President Hugo Chavez, attended the inauguration, the culmination of a storybook journey for the 57-year-old socialist. Despite having had little formal education, the iconic leader of one of Latin America's best-known leftist movements rose to become a union leader and eventually Brazil's president.