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about Brazil’s huge public debt and the threat of renewed
political instability, began to shun investment in Brazil’s
economy. The negative investor mood plunged the real to
an all-time low.
Social problems were on the minds of Brazilian voters
when, in October 2002, they elected Workers’ Party candi-
date Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the presidency in the
largest landslide in Brazilian history. During his two terms
as president (2003
–
2010) Lula tried to fight poverty, mal-
nutrition and under-education through large-scale public-
works projects. When Lula left office, he was considered
one of the most popular presidents in Brazil’s history.
Dilma Rousseff, Lula’s chief of staff from 2005 to
2010, made history by becoming the first woman elected president of Brazil in
October 2010. She took office on January 1, 2011. Rousseff maintained many
of Lula’s economic and social programs during her first term. She has also
pushed for the government to complete a number of controversial hydroelec-
tric dams in the Amazon River basin.
Despite some improvements in recent years, Brazil continues to have
many social problems. Among them are widespread poverty, a fragile health
care system, urban overcrowding, and environmental issues. In 2013, some
Brazilians began to protest against the high cost of public transportation. This
eventually grew into a series of protests throughout the country, with demon-
strators angry about many problems and issues. Despite this, Rousseff was
elected to a second term as president in October 2014.
A Legacy of Inequality 25
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva