Dilma Rousseff becomes first female president of Brazil

President Dilma Rousseff belongs to PT (Workers' Party) while Governor Geraldo Alckmin of Sao Paulo state is with the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party).  There are 27 states including the federal district where the national capital Brasilia is located. State governors--also powers to reckon with--assumed office on New Year's Day. 

On New Year's Day, Dilma Rousseff became the first woman to become president of Brazil in 121 years.  She garnered 56% of the popular vote in the run-off elections last October.

Dilma was a student activist and joined the leftist resistance against the military dictatorship in the 1960s.  She was tortured jailed for three years, and went back to school upon her release.


Governor Antonio Augusto Anastasia of Minas Gerais state is not a Dilma partymate. He belongs to the PSDB also like Alckmin of Sao Paulo.  Anastasia did not attend Dilma's inaugural reception.

 In attendance during her inauguration in the capital Brasilia were 23 heads of state including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Paraguay's Fernando Lugo and Uruguay's Jose Mujica, who are said to be left-leaning, nine vice presidents, 76 ambassadors and 24 secretaries of state including Hillary Clinton. 

There are now three female presidents in Latin America:  recently widowed Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who took over the presidency of Argentina from her husband Nestor in 2007, Laura Chinchilla who was assumed the presidency of Costa Rica in May 2010, and Dilma who inherited the reins of government from her mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, who she served as his chief of staff and before that, as minister of energy.

Lula set the bar for Dilma's success as leader of almost 200 million people--87% approval rating after eight years that saw Brazil enjoy an economic boom and rising as a global power.


Lula and Dilma (01 December 1010).

 Lula fully backed her up during the election campaign.  Since they both belong to the PT (Workers' Party), she is expected to continue his policies.  According to reports, Dilma acknowledged that "Lula has left this legacy to me: I'll be the mother of the Brazilian people."

In her inaugural speech, she "committed to honoring women, to protecting the most vulnerable and to govern for all."  Of her 37 ministers, nine are women. Brazil is a federation of 27 states including the federal district, hence, Dilma will be working with 26 state governors who may have policy agenda of their own. They may not also be with her political party.

She also said that her government will "give great attention to emerging nations .... [it] will not make the smallest concession to the protectionism from rich nations that suffocate any opportunity for so many nations to overcome poverty through the hard work of production."

Dilma Rousseff is coming in as Brazil faces bright prospects in the exploitation of its massive offshore oil reserves, and prepares to host the Copa Mundial in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016 while struggling with povery, crime and corruption.  She vowed "to help eradicate extreme poverty in the next decade."


Sources:

1.   Baker, Hazel. (2011, Jan 01). Brazil hands power to first female president. Sky News Online. Retrieved from http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201101115877045

2.  Moura, Helena de. (2011, Jan 01). Brazil inaugurates first female president.   CNN World Online. Retrieved from  http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-01/world/brazil.female.president_1_first-female-president-luiz-inacio-lula-brazil?_s=PM:WORLD

3.  BBC News. (2010, Oct 31). The women presidents of Latin America. BBC News Latin America & Carribean.  Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11447598