Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Brazil’s 2010 Elections, Part 2: Dilma Rousseff: Our Choice

Concerned Observers of Latin America and General Joe | 22.06.2010 16:32 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | Social Struggles | World

"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."

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.

-----

Please spread widely. General Joe

Concerned Observers of Latin America and General Joe

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech