MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The challenges faced by Dilma Rousseff

In rich states waiting for a change of course, Neves was the winner; in those living mostly of federal grants, Rousseff was victorious by an ample margin

In a strong editorial the influential Folha de Sao Paulo argues that Brazil's reelected President Dilma Rousseff must reestablish confidence to the nation, which is divided regionally and socially, must implement a fluid dialogue with productive Brazil because the economy needs changes and new faces, and must rule for all the country, because victory was the result of millimetrical dispute in Sunday's runoff.

 The tight outcome of the runoff was not even across the federation since in the Brazilian states of the south and Sao Paulo, the richest, opposition candidate Aecio Neves was the winner with a great advantage, while Dilma and the PT (Workers Party) had ample margin in the north and northeast of the country (where most of the anti-poverty programs are implemented).

But regional and social differences of the supporters of one or the other candidate, must not let us forget that the president of the republic must rule the whole of the country.

And the challenges, political and administrative to face are not small. There could be nothing worse than to imagine, (given the minimum difference in favor of the incumbent candidate), that from now on, this could mean a blank check for the performance of president Rousseff.

Likewise it must be said that ballots showed a desire to continue with the social programs, but there is also a strong expectation of change of course that can't be discarded from the ruling equation.

The economy needs adjustments, there is the need of a new team, capable of redesigning dialogue of the Planalto (Executive Palace) with the productive sectors, and this has been clearly exposed.

The political reform, based on the last days of the campaign became to be admitted as a priority by the president, but now all indicates it could have been rhetoric.

Relations with Congress and with regional powers have become more delicate than ever, but at the same time a split congressional puzzle and a scenario where the opposition PSDB dominates in the most important states of the federation, increase the hurdles for federal action.

In the very short term it is imperative to dispel the climate of confrontation and sectarianism that marked the last weeks of Brazilian politics.

And an unequivocal sign of this radicalized climate at the end of the political campaign was the attack by a minority of militants against the magazine 'Veja' offices in Sao Paulo, which must trigger immediate repudiation and fundamental concern.

But this was not the only attack on freedom of the press. In a mono-cratic and questionable decision, even worse because it came from a former solicitor involved in Dilma's 2010 electoral campaign Minister Admar Gonzaga imposed on the weekly magazine the obligation to allow the incumbent PT to reply accusations which were considered unfavorable for the candidate.

He went further and banned all publicity in the magazine, interpreting that this would be a form of disguised electoral propaganda, a decision undoubtedly unconstitutional.

If in cases like these, the electoral spirit prevails over democratic institutions, we are now facing the need for an immediate chapter of reconciliation and above all of administrative, political and economic reconstruction.

Let's hope that president Dilma Rousseff elected to rule for another four years has the sufficient luck, talent and humbleness to address these challenges.