Dilma Rousseff on the brink of becoming Brazil’s first female president

After WVON reported on the uncertainties surrounding Brazil’s new president yesterday, the Guardian has an article today suggesting that Rousseff’s path to the top job may be back on track.

She currently tops the polls in the country with 49-50% of the votes, ahead of Sunday’s first round election. The Guardian have therefore taken the opportunity to examine this ‘dog-loving, Proust obsessed, former Marxist rebel’ in more depth, and there is little doubt that she is an extremely interesting woman.

From a spell in prison as a consequence of her opposition to Brazil’s former dictatorship to social work in hillside slums, it’s clear that Rousseff has come a long way.

Even more excitingly, she is not the only female candidate in the race, with Green Party representative Marina  Silva polling at around 14% of the intended votes.

In fact, women may well have a decisive role to play in the elections outcome, with Brazilian sociologist Fatima Pacheco Jordao declaring “If Dilma can win over female voters [...] she’ll seal it in the first round. The women will decide.”

For more details on this really interesting moment in Brazil’s history, the full article is well worth a read.