Brazil in the Shadow of Lula

Brazil in the Shadow of Lula

Lilia M. Schwarcz

Ricardo Stuckert/PR

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, kisses newly elected leader Dilma Rousseff at the Alvorada palace, Brasília, November 1, 2010

On October 31, a former bureaucrat named Dilma Rousseff became the first female president of Brazil after easily winning a runoff election with 56 percent of the vote. Yet this outcome—in which she defeated Jose Serra, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party—had very little to do with Rousseff’s appeal among the Brazilian public or any distinct political platform of her own. Instead, it reflected the overwhelming popularity of outgoing president Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, Rousseff’s “godfather” and mentor in the Worker’s Party (PT); no one disputes the fact that this was above all his victory. Thanks to his seductive rhetoric, his command of populist language and his personal charisma, Lula—who continues to have an 83 percent approval rating—is sometimes compared to saints and miracle-workers, who are becoming increasingly rare in Brazil. His ubiquitous presence was the one constant throughout Dilma’s campaign: smiling on TV, embracing her in billboard campaign ads, talking with her and sometimes for her in public events. What will this mean for the woman who must now attempt to govern in his shadow? What is the meaning of having a woman president in a country known for its patriarchal structure and system of power?/.../