Summary
1 November 2010
Voters in Brazil have chosen the governing Workers' Party candidate, Dilma Rousseff, to be their new president. Ms Rousseff won 56% of the vote in the run-off, beating her rival, the Social Democrat Jose Serra. Paulo Cabral tells the story of Brazil's first female president.
Reporter:
Paulo Cabral
Rousseff launched her campaign in March
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Report
She was a schoolgirl when Brazil fell under military dictatorship in 1964, later becoming a key player in a militant group resisting the dictatorship, for which she was arrested and tortured. Her name is still engraved on the wall of the prison where she spent three years.
A career civil servant, Rousseff became energy minister when Lula da Silva took office in 2002.
In 2005, after a corruption scandal brought down key government figures, Lula da Silva made her his chief of staff, a post she held until March 2010, when she launched her campaign for the presidency as the Workers' Party candidate. With Lula's 80% approval ratings behind her, few doubted her chances of success despite a lacklustre campaign.
On January the first, Dilma Rousseff takes over from the most popular president Brazil has ever known. It won't be an easy act to follow.
Paulo Cabral, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ News, Sao Paulo
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Vocabulary
- key player
important person or leader
- militant
determined and often willing to use force
- engraved
words cut or carved into a hard surface
- civil servant
a person employed by the government
- took office
started an official job
- brought down
toppled or made them lose their jobs
- launched (her) campaign
started asking people to vote for her
- approval ratings
level of popularity
- lacklustre
uninspiring or jaded
- act to follow
difficult to surpass
