Brazilian Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff handily beat Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) candidate José Serra on Sunday in the second-round of voting to become Brazil’s first female president-elect. The final tally gave her 56.05 percent support (55.7 million votes) to 43.95 percent (43.7 million votes) for Mr. Serra. The outcome was no surprise to most observers, as polls had shown Ms. Rousseff with a substantial lead over her rival in the weeks leading up to the election.
President-elect Rousseff spoke after news of her victory in equally compelling language about her goals for handling poverty and the Brazilian economy saying, “We can not rest as long as Brazilians are hungry, while there are families living on the streets, while poor children are abandoned to their fate.” She then also stated that “it is necessary, multilaterally, to establish clearer rules for the restoration of capital markets, limiting excessive speculation and leveraging, which increase the volatility of capital markets and currencies.”
One day after her electoral victory, Ms. Rousseff maintained a busy schedule at her home in Brasilia. According to local media sources, she was visited by political allies including PT President José Eduardo Dutra, former Finance Minister Antonio Palocci, and special presidential adviser for international affairs, Marco Aurélio Garcia—all of whom have been tapped to assist in preparations for the transition.
Marco Aurélio Garcia, President Lula’s special advisor for international affairs, announced that Rousseff will accompany the president to Mozambique and then on to the G-20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea, on November 11-12.
