Dilma Rousseff has become the first woman to be elected Brazil's president, succeeding Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Imagine if US candidates would run on the theme of the eradication of poverty instead of maintaining the status quo. Latin American women are leading the way in bringing about justice and peace. Namaste!!! Ann

Ms. Rousseff, 62, has enjoyed the full support of President Lula, who is leaving after two terms of office with record popularity. On the evening of Sunday, October 31, thousands of supporters of the governing Workers Party took to the streets across Brazil to celebrate her victory.

Rousseff, who has never held elected office before, joined President Lula's cabinet as energy minister in 2003-5 and then became his chief of staff. She held this post until March 2010, when she launched her campaign for the presidency as the Workers Party (PT) candidate.

Rousseff Is "Mother Of The Nation"

During the election campaign, President Lula referred to Ms. Rousseff constantly as "mother of the nation," an image picked up and embellished in her TV election ads.

In her victory speech, she said her first priority would be to lift 20 million Brazilians out of poverty. "I reiterate my fundamental promise: the eradication of poverty," she said. "We must not rest while there are Brazilians going hungry."

Rousseff Endured Torture And Jail For Two Years

Ms. Rousseff has an unusual background: she is a former Marxist rebel who was jailed and tortured in 1970-72 for resisting military rule. Since then she has trained as an economist and worked her way up through local and state governments.

Women Gain Power In South America

She joins the growing number of women in South America who have gained power: Michele Bachelet was formerly President of Chile, and is now head of the United Nations Global Women's agency, while Argentina is now headed by Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Posted by: Judy Mollan on Care2 Causes [care2-causes@newsletters.care2.com]