Brazil’s 2010 Elections, Part 2: Dilma Rousseff

Craig Janis Brazil Brazil, brazil 2010 elections, dilma rousseff, luiz inácio lula da silva

Biography

Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, more commonly referred to as President Lula, is from the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), which is left-wing, democratic socialist political party. Lula has served two terms in office, starting in 2002, and is no longer eligible for reelection due to Brazil’s two-term limit on presidential service. In the 2010 presidential election the PT candidate will be Dilma Rousseff, who is currently serving as President Lula’s Chief of Staff.

Dilma’s history is colorful, to say the least. She is the daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant who, after fleeing political persecution in Europe, eventually arrived in Brazil and married a young Brazilian grade-school teacher. Dilma was their second child. When she was 15, Dilma left private school and started attending a public high school. During her time there she got involved in politics by joining the Política Operária, which was a faction of the Brazilian Socialist Party. Soon after she aligned herself with the Comando de Libertação Nacional (COLINA), which was an armed faction seeking the implementation of socialist policies in Brazil. COLINA carried out various attacks, including bank robberies and bombings, but Dilma was not involved in any violence. Instead she was known for her efforts with labor unions and her position as the editor of a leftist newspaper.

Dilma moved on from COLINA to a group called VAR Palmares, which also engaged in armed struggle. Though Dilma has repeatedly denied any involvement, there are reports that during her time with VAR Palmares she masterminded the theft of US$2.5 million from a former governor of São Paulo who was seen by the left as a symbol of corruption. The allegations against Dilma have never been proved conclusively.

In 1970, shortly after her alleged involvement in the heist, Dilma was arrested by undercover policemen. She was imprisoned for three years by the military dictatorship, and during that time she was repeatedly tortured for information about other members of VAR Palmares, but she managed to keep their identities secret.

After her imprisonment Dilma married, had a child, and earned her undergraduate degree. She also started, but never finished, a doctoral program in economics. She was soon involved again in politics, but she no longer associated herself with armed groups. After the end of the military dictatorship, Dilma went on to work on various electoral campaigns and serve in several different public offices, including a stint as the state Secretary of Energy for Rio Grande do Sul and the national Minister of Energy under President Lula. When Lula’s Chief of Staff was forced to resign because of his involvement in the Mensalão scandal, Dilma was appointed to fill the position. She started in that position in mid-2005, and stayed active in her role despite a bout with lymphoma in 2009.

As a candidate for the presidency, she has fared well. According to a recent poll, she is in second place with the support of 28% of likely voters, and is just 4% behind the current poll leader, José Serra of the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (Brazilian Social Democracy Party). She has risen to 28% from a low of just 3% in 2008, and she enjoys the support of President Lula who remains very popular. Dilma’s political future looks bright.

Analysis

If elected, Dilma would likely carry on many of the same policies that Lula has advanced. This means a strong role in the economy for state companies and the continued development of Brazil’s social programs. Dilma would also be likely to maintain Lula’s foreign policy strategy of creating alliances with other developing nations, especially China, India, and Russia, as well as the friendly outreach to bordering countries that has made Brazil the leading nation in South America. Dilma, like Lula, would probably be generally friendly towards the US and the rest of the first world, but she would probably also be unafraid to take an independent stance on many key issues. Brazil’s continued opposition to US plans for renewed sanctions against Iran is an example of the type of independent stance that Dilma would likely continue. She is also likely to continue Brazil’s push for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

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Please spread widely. General Joe