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, 大象传媒 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
