Lula makes his office a tourist attraction

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s office at the Planalto Palace was opened to the public for the first time ever last Sunday. Following the grand opening and trading on the chance of taking a look at the presidential desk, some 400 people swung by Lula’s office in the first four hours alone.

During former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s administration, visitors were only allowed to see the unrestricted areas of the government’s headquarters –designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer- but the presidential desk had never been part of the tour.

Visitors were divided in groups of 25 people for a guide-assisted half-hour grand tour down the halls decked out with paintings of Brazilian artists, meeting rooms and the presidential office at the end of the tour. Visits are available every Sunday and absolutely free of charge.

Guides told visitors that president Lula could make popup appearances behind his desk and chat with tourists one Sunday every month.