Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Re-Elected, Promises to Be a Better Leader

The head of Brazil’s Workers Party, President Dilma Rousseff, won a narrow victory Sunday against the “pro-business Aécio Neves.” Rousseff, who succeeded President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2011, told her country in her victory speech, “I want to be a much better president than I have been until now,” adding that she’s “stronger and more experienced” than when she was first elected.

And while there is room for improvement given that Brazil’s wealth gap is one of the widest in the world, in the dozen years the Workers Party has been in power about 20 percent of the country’s population, according to The Guardian, has “moved out of poverty.”

The Guardian:

President Dilma Rousseff has struck a conciliatory tone after her victory in the closest Brazilian election in generations.

Rousseff was re-elected by a narrow margin on Sunday, ensuring that Latin America’s biggest nation will remain under the control of a Workers party (PT) committed to tackling inequality.

She won 51.6% of the valid votes cast to secure a much reduced mandate, having fought off a strong challenge by the pro-business Aécio Neves.

In a victory speech, a beaming Rousseff said she hoped the nation could rally together. “Instead of increasing differences and creating gaps, I strongly hope that we create the conditions to unite,” she told supporters in Brasilia….She gave particular thanks to former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who many tip to run again in 2018. Rousseff is ineligible to stand for a third consecutive term.

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—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata