Brazil elects first female president

On Sunday, Oct. 31 Brazil elected Dilma Rousseff of the ruling center-left Workers' Party, as the nation's thirty-sixth president, and its first female president. After winning only 46 percent of the vote in the first round on Oct. 3, Rousseff had only four percent less than the fifty percent she needed to avoid a secondround of elections. In the second-round, held Oct. 31, Rousseff won 56 percent of the votes, leaving her opponent, José Serra, of the centerright Brazilian Social Democratic Party, with 43 percent. Rousseff will be sworn into office on January 1.

With a Bulgarian father, a Brazilian mother and a firmly middle-class background, Rousseff joined the underground resistance against Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1960s and was imprisoned and tortured for three years by government forces. Following Brazil's transition to democracy, she joined the civil service and eventually became the government's energy minister.

Rousseff gained public recognition in 2005, when popular current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva chose her to lead as his chief-of-sttaff. Now constitutionally obligated to step down after two terms, Lula garnered praise during his presidency for his pragmatic economic measures and progressive social policies that used a moderate tone that appealed to many and did not antagonize powers like the United States. Before the 2010 election, President Lula nominated Rousseff as his successor, calling her "the mother of the nation".

While Rousseff is Brazil's first female president, her gender was considered less important than her alliance with Lula. Political science professor Lois Wasserspring, who is also the co-director of Wellesley's Latin American Studies Program, emphasized that gender was not a major issue from the Brazilian electorate's point of view. "[It was] Lula's support [that] was critical to Dilma Rousseff's victory; he campaigned with her," Wasserspring said. Wasserspring also points out that Rousseff's opponent, José Serra, received more female votes than Rousseff did.

Thus, the implications of Rousseff's election for Brazil reflect an emphasis on continuity, not on change. As president, Lula raised the minimum wage, stimulated jobs, redistributed wealth and increased funds given to families under "Bolsa Familia," a government program that pays parents sums for keeping their children in school and for providing them with medical checkups. These policies raised the standard of living for millions of Brazilians and reduced the number of people living in poverty from 49.5 million in 2000 to 20 million in 2003. Endorsed by and a chief supporter of President Lula, Rousseff has promised to continue these social and economic policies. Indeed, her campaign slogan was "For Brazil to keep on changing," showing her support for the progress Brazil has seen under President Lula.

São Paolo resident Fernanda Bitar '14 noticed this continuity between presidencies. "Some who voted for [Rousseff] were actually voting for Lula," Bitar said. Isabel Custodio '13, who is involved with the International Relations Council, agreed, and also emphasized the importance of class.

"By having Lula, who left office after eight years with an 80 percent approval rate, at her side, [Rousseff's] gender became a secondary aspect," Custodio said. "It's important to recognize that the class division in Brazil is powerful and that both Lula and Rousseff were elected in part as a result of it. A majority of Brazilians were more concerned with the political questions at hand [than with Rousseff's gender] and wanted a continuation of Lula's policies, [hoping] that Rousseff would be as effective as Lula was."

In her victory speech, Rousseff stated her intent to further these social and economic policies in the interest of continuing to improve the lives of all Brazilians. She particularly emphasized the importance of gender equality and promised to work for its continued progress, as well as commit herself to honor Brazilian women. "I would like very much today for fathers and mothers of daughters to look in their eyes and tell them: ‘Yes, a woman can,'" she said.

While Rousseff promises continuity with current policies, her victory means that both the ruling Workers' Party and the opposition Social Democratic Party will likely seek to change and expand their support bases. While the Workers' Party has seen widespread support for Lula's policies, it may not want to continue to use them as its sole platform. The likelihood of this departure from identifying with Lula will depend on the success of Rousseff's presidency in comparison to Lula's.

The center-right Social Democratic Party, meanwhile, must consider whether it can appeal to voters from lower-income backgrounds, given that the Workers' Party's policies of economic equality are highly attractive to those from less economically privileged backgrounds.

The election also resulted in a large amount of support for third-party candidates: the Green Party's Marina Silva, a former senator and environmental minister, garnered 20 percent of the vote and the Socialist Party gained seats in the legislature. The increased influence of these parties suggests that the bipolarity of Brazil's political party system might gradually give way to multi-polarity. Silva's robust showing in the election also demonstrated the advancement of women candidates in general in 2010.

Rousseff is the sixth elected female president in Latin America. Other female presidents include Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, elected in 2007; Chile's Michelle Bachelet, in office 2006-2010 and Costa Rica's Laura Chinchilla, elected in 2010. Rousseff's election has been greeted warmly not only in Brazil and Latin America, but also around the world: President Obama, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, Portuguese leader Cavaco Silva and Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov (who paid homage to Rousseff's Bulgarian heritage) are among the leaders who called to congratulate her.

Whether a symbol of continuity or of change, Rousseff's election to become Brazil's first "presidenta" is a significant milestone for Brazil.