MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fourteen presidents confirmed for Dilma Rousseff’s ceremony January first

Lula da Silva steps down after eight years in office

At least fourteen presidents, including Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela’ Hugo Chavez, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have confirmed they will be present next January first in Brasilia when Dilma Rousseff takes office as Brazil’s first woman president.

The Brazilian Foreign Affairs ministry said that other leaders who have confirmed attendance are Uruguay’s Jose Mujica, Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Chile’s Sebastián Piñera, Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Peru’s Alan García and the heir to the Spanish Crown Prince Felipe.

Next January first Lula da Silva steps down after eight years in office while Dilma will be receiving the presidential sash during a ceremony at Planalto Palace, Government House.

President Rousseff will then make the traditional “pronouncement to the Nation”.

Other leaders who will be coming to the ceremony include South Korea’s PM, Algeria’s PM and the Prince of Qatar.

On Friday Ms Rousseff, who was absent from the Mercosur summit, attended a ceremony at the Electoral Supreme Tribunal where she was handed the document that confirms she was the winner of last October 31 runoff and thus the next Brazilian president.

In related news the weekly magazine “Istoé” chose outgoing president Lula da Silva as “the Brazilian of the Decade” and Ms Rousseff the “Brazilian woman of the Year”.

“Lula da Silva has walked into history as the most popular president ever”, pointed out “IStoé” adding he helped to build a “more fair, more ethical, more transparent and better world for all of us”.

Dilma Rousseff was named the Brazilian Woman of the Year 2010 since she is the first woman president to be elected in Brazil.

“I hope to honour all Brazilian women from next January. Again I’m facing the challenge of the election, I succeed a government that has built a road to development for Brazil…and managed to convince our country to be well aware of our strength as a nation”, said Ms Rousseff.

Other figures distinguished by the magazine were former Minas Gerais governor Aécio Neves named “Brazilian politics man of the year”. Following on Jose Serra’s defeat last October Neves has taken over as the main leader of the opposition.