Brazil’s first female president vows to fight poverty

The ruling Workers’ Party candidate clinched victory in the run-off election, winning 56 per cent of the vote against her opposition rival Jose Serra of the Social Democratic party, who trailed on 44 per cent.

The former chief of staff to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to stick to his policies to maintain Brazil’s hard-won economic stability and respect existing contracts with private companies.

“I received from millions of Brazilians maybe the most important mission of my life,” Ms Rousseff told a crowd of cheering supporters.

“We cannot rest while there are Brazilians who are hungry, while there are families living on the street, while poor children are abandoned to their fate.” Brazil’s President-elect Dilma Rousseff

She said she would focus on making public spending more efficient and would not tolerate a government that spent beyond its means.

Thousands of supporters celebrated the presidential victory, dancing and waving red flags on the streets of Sao Paulo and the capital Brasilia.

Ms Rousseff was jailed and tortured in the 1970’s after she was arrested for being a member of an armed group that opposed the military dictatorship.

The 62-year-old economist and former energy minister had never run for elected office, but was able to ride on the success of President Lula, who chose Ms Rousseff to succeed him.

Ms Rousseff paid tribute to Lula in her victory speech, promising to extend what she dubbed a “new era of prosperity.”

“We cannot rest while there are Brazilians who are hungry, while there are families living on the street, while poor children are abandoned to their fate,” she said.

Rousseff- who will be sworn in on January 1- will also push for a greater role in developing new oil wealth and creating new infrastructure as Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and the Olympics two years later.

The new de facto leader of Brazil’s opposition, Aecio Neves, said he would work “responsibly” with Ms Rousseff but vowed to challenge the government with a series of new economic reforms.

“These structural reforms need to be done to keep Brazil’s economy growing,” Neves said.

“Lula should have done them. He didn’t. But the time to do them is now.”