Borisov Brings Dilma Rousseff Congratulatory Letter from EU Council President

Brazilian president elect, Dilma Rousseff (L), during a meeting with Bulgarian prime minister, Boyko Borisov (R), at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, on 30 December 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Bulgaria’s PM Boyko Borisov has given a congratulatory letter from the EU Council President, Herman van Rompuy, to the newly inaugurated Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the Bulgarian private bTV reported.

Rousseff, who is of Bulgarian origin, was formally inaugurated Brazil’s 36 President on January 1, 2011. The daughter of Bulgarian immigrant Petar Rusev (Pedro Rousseff) formally took office from Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, becoming the first female President of the largest Latin American nation.

Bulgaria’s PM Boyko Borisov, who was the only EU state leader, together with Spanish Prince Felipe and the Prime Minister of Portugal, attended the inauguration ceremony and presented Rousseff with a congratulatory letter from the EU Council President, Herman van Rompuy.

The letter states Rompuy's belief that the trust of the Brazilian nation will give Rousseff the energy she needs to perform her duties. He also points out that her being the first economist to head Brazil will enrich the discussions at the upcoming summit of G20 leaders in November 2011.

The torrential rain in Brazil’s capital Brasilia did not mar the inauguration ceremony as thousands of people cheered in the as Rousseff she drove down the broad Esplanade of the Ministries to the modern National Congress.

A total of 47 world leaders, including Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, attended the inauguration.

In the presidential elections campaign throughout 2010, Dilma Rousseff, who was handpicked by Lula, emerged initially as an underdog but Lula’s energetic campaigning on her part quickly helped her to gain momentum.

On October 3, 2010, Bulgaria-descended Dilma Rousseff from the Workers' Partywon the first round of Brazil's presidential elections but fell short of the 50% plus 1 vote needed to evade a runoff. Back then Rousseff won more than 46.6% in the first round of Brazil's presidential elections, while her main rival Serra received about 33% in the first round, and Marina Silva from the Green Party, who is believed to have “stolen” votes mostly from Rousseff, was third with about 20%.

On October 31, 2010, Dilma Rousseff beat Jose Serra in the second round of Brazil's Presidential Elections. Rousseff grabbed hold of the Brazilian Presidency with 55.39% of the valid votes in the runoff, vs. 44.61% for Serra.

Dilma Rousseff is believed to have won the second round of the presidential elections primarily thanks to the votes of the poorer and middle class layers of theBrazilian society but her popularity has generally soared as she enjoys what appears to be almost universal support in Brazil.

Brazil's outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva himself won both of his terms in the elections in 2002 and 2006 after second-round runoffs. Prior to that Lula ran in every presidential elections since democracy was restored in Brazil in 1985.

Rousseff, an individual with a remarkable fate who spent three years in prison in the early 1970s during Brazil’s military dictatorship for her activities as a leftist guerilla and survived cancer in 2009, has never held an elected office before. She has herself acknowledged that her popularity is primarily the result of her promotion by extremely popular president Lula da Silva, whose two terms in office turned Brazilinto a world-scale economic powerhouse. From 2003 till 2005 she served as Lula's Energy Minister, and after that was appointed head of his Cabinet.

In her election victory speech on November 1, Dilma declared fighting poverty and promotion of Brazil's economic development her "fundamental commitment." She has also explicitly pledged to remain firm on the course of her promoter, outgoing President Inacio Lula.

On December 30, 2010, Dilma broke the protocol and received the Bulgarian delegation for her inauguration led by Bulgarian PM Borisov two days in advance; she has promised to visit Bulgaria in 2011, which will be her first time ever in her father's homeland.

Rousseff's father, Petar Rusev, also know as Pedro Rousseff, was a Bulgarian leftist who emigrated to France in 1929, and then left for Latin America in the 1944.

Detailed profile of Dilma Rousseff READ HERE.

Detailed information about the Bulgarian origin and family of Dilma Rousseff READ HERE.

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