Dilma Rousseff: The first woman to lead the country
Dilma Rousseff: The first woman to lead the country
Dilma Vana Rousseff, the first woman elected President of Brazil, was born on December 14, 1947 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. She is the daughter of Bulgarian immigrant Pedro Rousseff and Dilma Jane
At the age of 16, he began his political life at Colégio Estadual Central (BH), joining Polop. She joined the armed struggle against the military regime in 1967, joining Colina, which sought to replace the dictatorship with a socialist regime.
In January 1970, she was arrested in São Paulo and defined as a “popess of subversion”. Convicted of “subversion”, she was imprisoned from 1970 to 1972 in Tiradentes. She reported having been the target of torture sessions, which caused her sequelae, such as a thyroid problem.
Upon leaving prison in 1972, he moved to Porto Alegre, returning to study Economics. She worked at FEE and helped found the PDT in RS. He held positions such as POA Finance Secretary and State Energy Secretary in the 80s and 90s
After disagreements between PT and PDT, Dilma joined the PT in 2001. Her work at the RS Energy Secretariat, avoiding rationing, caught Lula’s attention. He noticed her for her technical knowledge in the industry
In 2003, she became Minister of Mines and Energy in the Lula government, reformulating the sector and increasing state control. She chaired the Petrobrás Board and implemented “Luz Para Todos”, a successful program that expanded energy supply
After José Dirceu’s departure in 2005, Dilma was promoted to Chief Minister of the Civil House, reaching the center of power. She coordinated strategic programs such as Minha Casa, Minha Vida and PAC, being called by Lula the “mother of the program”
She was chosen as Lula’s successor in 2010, without prior experience in elected office. With Lula’s popularity and the economy growing (7.5% per year), she was elected in the second round with almost 56 million votes
At first, the government maintained its popularity, reaching 65% approval in March 2013. Her direct style was seen as firmness, but was later interpreted as intransigence and a lack of political skill, generating reports of ministers fearing her.
In June 2013, the June Days shook the country, and popularity plummeted from 65% to 30%. The economic crisis deepened due to the “new economic matrix”. However, she was re-elected in 2014 in a narrow victory against Aécio Neves
The second term began with an economic crisis and high rejection. Her popularity fell when she made a radical fiscal adjustment, the opposite of what she promised (electoral fraud). During this period, Operation Lava Jato grew, which paralyzed the government
In 2016, the then President of the Chamber Eduardo Cunha accepted a request for impeachment against Dilma, who was definitively removed from office at the end of August, but did not lose her political rights.
In March 2023, Dilma assumed the presidency of the New Development Bank, the BRICS Bank, replacing Marcos Troyjo. In March 2025, she was elected for a new five-year term with the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin
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