Brazil's conservative new Congress gets to work

Lawmakers took office for the annual legislative session of the Brazilian Congress, which will be dominated by conservative parties that could make life difficult for leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Members of the 513-seat Chamber of Deputies were sworn in for their four-year terms in a tightly guarded ceremony in the lower house, less than a month after rioters invaded Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace, claiming Lula's election win over far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro was fraudulent.

In the 81-seat Senate, the 27 newly elected members were due to be sworn in for their eight-year terms. The legislative session in both chambers officially opens.

The largest party in both houses will be Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL), making for tricky political terrain for veteran leftist Lula and his Workers' Party (PT).

Lawmakers' first order of business will be electing the leaders of both chambers.

In the lower house, the winner is expected to be incumbent speaker Arthur Lira, a key figure in a loose coalition of parties dubbed the "Centrao" that is known for its knack for securing government pork and prized posts.

The post is a powerful one in Brazil. The speaker of the lower house is second in the line of presidential succession, after the vice president, and has the power to decide whether to allow impeachment proceedings to move forward.