BRASILIA, April 11 (BERNAMA-NNN-PRENSA LATINA) - Economic measures and
programmes for women stand out in Brazil''s President Dilma Rousseff’s first 100
days.
Political observers said her foreign policy is the chief difference between her
and predecessor and "political godfather" former president Lula da Silva.
Since being elected and sworn-in as the first woman president in Brazilian
history, Rousseff has placed her own personal seal on her mandate as she begins
to carry out her campaign promises, centered on eradicating poverty and
programmes for women.
She has also had to adopt tough economic measures, such as cutting the federal
budget by 50 billion Brazilian Reales, the equivalent of US$30 billion and not
ceding to trade union pressure to raise the minimum wage above 545 Reales
(US$320).
Described as more pragmatic than her predecessor, Rousseff has kept her campaign
promise to keep inflation under control, one of the trickiest domestic problems.
Women''s programmes announced by Rousseff range from health care to the opening
of new childcare centers, to reaffirming the fight against gender-based
violence.
In the international arena, Rousseff also took a stand different from Lula when
she voted in the U.N to send a rapporteur to investigate possible human rights
violations in Iran.
The much-manipulated human rights issue was used against Brazil itself by the
United States, which said in its annual State Department report that Brazilian
police and other authorities committed abuse, torture, mistreatment of prisoners
and that forced labour and child labour were used in its domestic informal
economy last year.
Brazil responded saying that it had no comment on the content of reports
unilaterally written by other countries that are self-appointed judges of human
rights, sources said. -- BERNAMA-NNN-PRENSA LATINA
MHS
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