Dilma Rousseff

Dilma Vana Rousseff (December 14^th, 1947 - ) is the former corrupt 36^th President of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on August 31^st, 2016. She was the first woman to hold the Brazilian presidency and had previously served as Chief of Staff to former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from 2005 to 2010.

Early life

Dilma Rousseff was born in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of the southeastern state of Minas Gerais on December 14, 1947. Her parents were Pedro Rousseff (born Petar Rusev), a Bulgarian lawyer and entrepeneur from the city of Gabrovo and Dilma Jane Coimbra da Silva, a Brazilian schoolteacher from Rio de Janeiro, raised in Minas Gerais. Her father left Bulgaria in 1929 (the same year his son Luben Rusev (1929-2007) was born) and arrived in Brazil in the 1930s, but then moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. He returned to Brazil several years later and met Dilma Jane Coimbra da Silva. He and the latter had three children; Igor, Dilma Vana, and Zana Lucia.

She was against the military dictatorship that governed Brazil from 1964 to 1985. In January 1970 she was sent to prison for being a member of a Marxist group which had carried out bank robberies and murders. She was released after three years. She joined the Workers Party in 1986.

Presidency

Rousseff was a key ally of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a labour activist who became President of Brazil. A left wing candidate, Lula was a popular president and Rousseff became his chosen successor. She won the 2010 Presidential election.

As President, Rousseff kept with many of Lula's policies. She also became known for bringing the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics to Brazil. Many Brazilians were against this, and felt that the money spent on these events would be better spent on other things. Rousseff was on the board of Petrobras, an oil company, in the 2000s. In 2015, reports of corruption at Petrobras became known. Although not named in the investigation, many people in her government were, and there were large protests against Rousseff's government, including Lula da Silva. She has also been accused of lying about economic numbers during her campaign to be reelected. On December 3^rd, 2015, impeachment proceedings against Rousseff were officially approved by the Chamber of Deputies.

Impeachment

On May 12^th, 2016, the impeachment process began when the Senate of Brazil temporarily suspended President Rousseff's powers and duties for up to six months or until the Senate reaches a verdict: to remove her from office if found guilty or to acquit her from the crimes charged. Vice President Michel Temer assumed her powers and duties as Acting President of Brazil during the suspension. Rousseff says she is innocent and that the impeachment is a coup. Rousseff was removed from office on August 31^st, 2016 when the Brazilian Senate voted 61-20 in favor of impeachment. She was succeeded by Vice President Michel Temer.

Post-presidency

On August 5^th, 2018, the Workers' Party convention in Minas Gerais officialized Rousseff as a Senate candidate, representing the state, in the 2018 elections. She placed fourth in the election and did not win. Of the two seats in the Senate for Minas Gerais, Rodrigo Pacheco and Carlos Viana were the winners.