Lula cancels attendance at Chilean president's inauguration ceremony

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cancelled his attendance at the inauguration ceremony of Chile's president-elect José Antonio Kast, scheduled for Wednesday, according to officials from the Brazilian presidential palace.

Lula had previously confirmed his participation in the event and was set to travel to Chile on Tuesday morning. Brazilian government teams were already in the country ahead of the ceremony. The decision to withdraw was made Monday evening, officials said.

The cancellation came after learning that senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a pre-candidate for Brazil's October presidential election and a political opponent of Lula, would attend the ceremony accompanied by his wife. Bolsonaro's press office confirmed he would be present and planned to meet with local leaders.

Lula met with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira on Tuesday morning. The Government Communications Office confirmed the president's withdrawal later that day, though the cancellation did not initially appear on the official presidential agenda, which is typically released daily.

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday and is expected to bring together various heads of state and regional authorities. Kast and Lula had previously met in January in Panama City during the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Forum, where Kast invited the Brazilian president to attend the swearing-in ceremony and said he would set aside ideological differences to prioritize pragmatism.