Dilma Rousseff

Born on December fourteenth, nineteen forty-seven, Dilma Rousseff is a prominent Brazilian economist and politician who made history as the first woman to serve as the president of Brazil. Her presidency spanned from two thousand eleven until her impeachment and removal from office on August thirty-first, two thousand sixteen. In March twenty twenty-three, she took on the role of chair at the New Development Bank, further solidifying her influence in Brazilian politics.

Rousseff's early life was shaped by her upbringing in an upper middle-class family in Belo Horizonte. A passionate socialist from a young age, she became involved with left-wing and Marxist urban guerrilla groups in response to the military dictatorship that emerged after the coup d'état in nineteen sixty-four. Her activism led to her capture, where she endured torture and imprisonment from nineteen seventy to nineteen seventy-two.

After her release, Rousseff rebuilt her life in Porto Alegre alongside her husband, Carlos Araújo. Together, they played a pivotal role in founding the Democratic Labour Party (PDT) in Rio Grande do Sul, participating actively in various electoral campaigns. Her political career advanced as she served as the treasury secretary of Porto Alegre and later as the Secretary of Energy for Rio Grande do Sul under governors Alceu Collares and Olívio Dutra. In two thousand one, she transitioned to the Workers' Party (PT) following an internal dispute.

In two thousand two, Rousseff became an energy policy advisor to presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who appointed her as Minister of Energy upon his election victory. Following a political crisis in two thousand five, she ascended to the role of Chief of Staff, a position she held until March thirty-first, two thousand ten, when she stepped down to pursue the presidency. Rousseff won the election in two thousand ten and was re-elected in two thousand fourteen, defeating candidates from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).

However, her presidency faced significant challenges, culminating in impeachment proceedings that began in December two thousand fifteen. On May twelfth, two thousand sixteen, the Senate suspended her powers, leading to Vice President Michel Temer's assumption of her duties. Ultimately, on August thirty-first, two thousand sixteen, the Senate voted to convict Rousseff, finding her guilty of breaking budgetary laws and removing her from office. In August two thousand eighteen, she ran for a seat in the Federal Senate from Minas Gerais but finished fourth in the election.