Photo Gallery Brazil's New President
Brazil has elected a woman as its president for the first time. Dilma Rousseff will run the country for the next four years. Here she greets supporters at her election party, flanked by members of her campaign team.
"I want to be the president of all Brazilians!" cries Rousseff. She is a member of the governing Workers' Party.
The 62 year old was the candidate of choice for current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who after two terms in office is forbidden from running again. He supported her during her election campaign. Here, a poster showing both politicians together was on display during the party celebrations on Sunday.
The Social Democrat challenger José Serra was forced to concede defeat. He congratulated Rousseff on her victory and said he accepted the voters' decision with "respect and humility." Here he is seen embracing his daughter Veronica. This was the second defeat for Serra. In 2002, he lost in a run-off election to Lula. His message, however, was defiant: "The fight will go on. Long live Brazil."
In the coming four years Brazil will be governed by a female president for the first time. Supporters celebrate and greet Dilma Rousseff in Porto Alegre, even before the election result had been announced.
Dilma Rousseff was born in 1947. In the 1960s she fought as a guerrilla against the Brazilian dictatorship and then spent three years in prison where she was tortured. Later she got involved with democracy and in 2001 she joined the Workers' Party. In 2003, she assumed the post of Minister for Energy under President Lula da Silva.
In 2005, Rousseff was promoted to Lulas cabinet chief. She had to take on the role of arbitrator and she was considered brittle and brusque. She had wanted to "potentialize" her colleagues' work and make this clear to society, the trained economist said at the time.
In 2009, Rousseff decided to run for president -- as Lula's favorite candidate. But in the same year Rousseff was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph glands. She has been treated with chemotherapy and wears a wig. She is said to be recovering well.
In the past, she was known as a "battle axe" and a hard negotiator -- today she tries for a gentler image. Cosmetic surgery on her face and a new, friendlier haircut have helped achieve this. She also has a personal PR-advisor on side.
