Free Dilma Rousseff Biography Essay Sample

Dilma Rousseff is the first woman to ever become Brazil's president. Professionally she is an economist with a background in energy administration. She is also a mother and has been a long-time political activist.  Dilma was born to a school teacher mother and a Bulgarian father who was a successful real estate businessman. Rousseff was the chief of staff for incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who had been in power since 2003. According to the United Kingdom's newspaper, 'The Independent', Rousseff is the most powerful woman in the world. This essay focuses on the economic, social and political context of Dilma Rousseff with a brief account on how she became the president of Brazil.

 
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As an urban guerrilla belonging to the Palmares Armed Revolutionary Vanguard, Rousseff fought the United States military dictatorship that was led by General Humberto Branco since 1964. By 1969, Rousseff was the only woman among the five commanders of Palmares. Despite her lacking charisma, eloquence and the widespread popularity, she was hand-picked by president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to be the successor.

Rousseff political ideologies included her strong stand against abortion as she viewed  it as a public health issue. She also pledged to continue with the domestic economic policies that had been opened by President Lula and develop the nation without marginalizing any population.  Lula's economic policies included increasing the minimum wage and raising pensions leading to a reduction of the poor people and inequality in Brazil.  Rousseff pledged to also create millions of jobs, support social welfare schemes using Brazil's new wealth, improve infrastructure and build six thousand day care centres for the poor women.

The International policies initiated by Lula, especially the strong support for Latin American Revolution, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia will also continue under Rousseff's tenure. Consequently, Chavez and Morales can manage to successfully counter the attempts by the United States to oust them through destabilization and assassinations. Rousseff had been the environmental minister but stepped down in 2008 in protest of a development project in the Amazon. She campaigned on the Green Party ticket by laying emphasis on cubing deforestation and government accountability. Rousseff faced Jose Serra and Marina Silva, a former trade union leader and environmental activist, in the presidential elections. Dilma's campaign against Silva was the most effective as she offered herself as an honest and principled person. Rousseff defeated Brazilian Social presidential candidate Jose Serra by getting fifty six per cent of the votes in a run-off election.

Her life has been filled with several tribulations. She been jailed for almost three years and is also a survivor of lymphoma cancer after undergoing a successful chemotherapy. Rousseff hence emerged as a strong woman and this greatly boosted her political career. Her ability to withstand the torture when she was imprisoned by the Junta in 1970 made her win the respect and affection of Brazilian public. She has also been divorced twice over the past two year. Rousseff, a mother of one also received a complete make-over including cosmetic surgery and a stylish hairdo. Surprisingly all these impacted positively in increasing her popularity during the rallies.

In conclusion, although the Rousseff pledges to continue with Lula's policies, the heavy spending by the government may need to be addressed so as to ensure that the policies are sustainable. The social security system is bloated and has got a lot of bureaucracy. The growth domestic product is expected to decrease therefore lowering the tax receipts and posing a challenge to Rousseff.  There are also likely to be problems if the Lula's policies are continually implemented without a strong fiscal austerity. Brazil has a suitable environment for foreign business but it is complicated and expensive due to many regulations, legal employment protections and a byzantine tax system.  Rousseff's background and ideology instils confidence among Brazilians. She is a strong and very competent leader and I firmly believe that she will manage to overcome the challenges facing Brazil.  In fact the nation's economic status is likely to flourish during her leadership.

 

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