By leaving Venezuela under the cover of night and skipping a funeral ceremony for its late president Hugo Chavez last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was once again trying to chart out a more moderate brand of leftism and send a clear signal to investors and diplomats.
Rousseff began a delicate dance of mourning while also keeping a certain distance from Chavez’s legacy just hours after his death on Tuesday.
In a speech, she expressed admiration for the socialist leader, but also pointedly added that Brazil “did not entirely agree” with many of his hardline policies.
Rousseff and her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, have over the past 10 years espoused a more pragmatic, business-friendly set of policies than Chavez, who was well-known for lashing out at Washington, expropriating companies and intimidating his political rivals.
Those close to Lula and Rousseff say they genuinely admired Chavez and his compassion for the poor, and both were emotionally devastated by his death from cancer at age 58.
However, both Brazilians also took numerous opportunities during the week to politely highlight disagreements with him — which officials said was a carefully crafted campaign to draw a distinction between Brazil and Venezuela in the eyes of the international community and business leaders.
“The simple message is: ‘We’re different,’” one Brazilian official said on condition of anonymity. “Yes, we respect many things he did, and there is a shared cause ... But Brazil is not the same as Venezuela.”
Such a message could bolster Brazil’s reputation as a leader among the Latin American governments that in recent years have embraced its more moderate leftism, marrying robust social policies with free-market principles such as strong property rights.
Diplomats in Washington and Europe were also watching carefully at a time when Brazil is seeking more global influence and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Rousseff and Lula did travel to Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on Thursday and joined a long line of well-wishers who visited Chavez’s casket.
Rousseff also offered Venezuela’s Acting President Nicolas Maduro non-financial assistance in coming months if he wins an election to succeed Chavez, an official said.
The offer included technicians from Brazil’s vaunted “My House, My Life” public housing program to help work on similar projects in Venezuela.
Nonetheless, both Rousseff and Lula departed Venezuela prior to a funeral ceremony on Friday that was attended by dignitaries from more than 30 countries, including some polarizing figures such as Cuban President Raul Castro and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Unlike Lula, who was close with Ahmadinejad, Rousseff has mostly avoided contact with the Iranian president since she took office in 2011 as her government has more firmly emphasized democracy and human rights in its relationships abroad.
A member of the Brazilian delegation sent a tweet on Friday shortly before sunrise saying their plane had just landed back in Brasilia.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez was also absent from the Friday ceremony, although she attributed her early return to Buenos Aires to health reasons.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
RSS