Rousseff promises reforms, aims to heal rift
November 6, 2014, 4:59 am

Residents take part in a demonstration demanding the “impeachment” of the Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Nov. 1, 2014 [Xinhua]

On Wednesday in the capital city of Brasilia, Rousseff stressed on delivering the reform promises made during her electoral campaign and on upholding the “diversity” in Brazilian political and social spheres, following post-election protests by the political opposition.

“Every election indicates a process. In our case, two words were highlighted: change and reform. (This) indicates that the government, despite having a re-elected president has to be a government to propose changes and reforms,” she said.

“I will make the changes we all heard throughout the election campaign. Know that we are listening systematically,” she added.

Rousseff faces an uphill task of restoring investor and market confidence in the government.

Brazilian Central bank’s (BCB) move last week to raise its policy rate by 25bp to 11.25 per cent is a sign that reelected President Dilma Rousseff will be more market-friendly, said analysts.

The bank said the inflation risks have changed since their last meeting in September.

“It might be a move from president Rousseff’s side to show she will be more market friendly in her second term. We will probably see more rate hikes and are currently revising our forecast. The hike is likely to be positive for markets,” said Nordea Research in an emailed statement.

In a meeting with Brazilian business leaders on Wednesday, Rousseff pledged to head a government for all political segments, saying “a government has to govern for all voters, regardless of who they voted for.”

“The winner can not claim to be superb or perfect in terms of political vision,” Rousseff said.

In reference to a spate of protests to her reelection and even calls for impeachment on some social networks, Rousseff said “any attempt at retaliation arising from resentment on the part of those who won or those who lost (the election) represents a misunderstanding of the democratic process.”

The president reiterated her willingness to dialogue with the opposition and Congress.

“The main forum for dialogue is the Congress, because that’s where all the diversity of the Brazilian nation is expressed. We must value that, because being a diverse society is our main characteristic,” she said.

The President also reiterated her support for a referendum on political reforms.

“Brazil needs political reform. Obviously the questions will pass through Congress, but we can not ignore the interests expressed in the popular 7 million signatures,” she said referring to the push for a debate on a plebiscite over the need for a constitutional assembly to oversee political reforms.

TBP and Agencies