Dilma Rousseff has been re-elected as the president of Brazil in the county’s closest election in generations. Brazilian readers told us what they think about her re-election

As a woman, a feminist and a socialist, I am very glad that Dilma has won!”- Natascha Otoya

A woman, being re-elected in a traditionally sexist Latin country as ours, first of all means that we can learn to be a little less prejudiced. Secondly, but no less important, it means that Brazil has decided to be more inclusive. The last 12 years have seen huge advancements for the country: we have left UN’s hunger map and have brought nearly 50 million people into the middle classes. This is the real impact of a leftist government - underprivileged people can now plan to go to university (public universities in Brazil are 100% free and the Labour government has built almost 200 of them). There are more schools and hospitals spread around the country than ever before. 

Today, around 56 million people claim benefits and some 12 millions have given them up in the past years because they felt they no longer needed this government support. This means that many people in low paid jobs were able to go back to school, better themselves, make plans for the future - which of course makes all the difference! People who used to live from hand to mouth can now plan to buy a house through government programmes, can get a decent education and move up in life. 

We cannot deny that there’s been corruption, there’s been embezzlement and white collar crimes. But to believe that the right-wing candidate was going to be the one to end it is childish and naive! He himself is involved in many corruption scandals and it’s hard to see why he’d do anything about it! Corruption is part of the political game and only a reform in the system would make it possible to end it - and this has never been in the right-wing agenda, but Dilma has already said she plans to have a referendum to know what people want on that matter.

So, as a woman, a feminist and a socialist, I am very glad that Dilma has won! 4 more years for the left, I can only be happy about that.

I’m Brazilian and I think I can speak about this. The truth is: Dilma Rousseff has only won due to the obligatory voting. Dilma won at the Northern and Northeastern states, where most of the population is poor. They feared losing their social programs as Bolsa-Família if Aécio Neves had won the elections, which wouldn’t happen, so,they voted on Dilma.

I think most of people from those regions neither really known the other candidate. Those people who aren’t interested on politics and they vote who is already the government. If voting wasn’t an obligation, they would neither worry about that.

“My mother is 52 and keeps saying that she has never seen so many injustices in her life”- perezpadilha

I don’t think that Rousseff’s re-election was a good thing. I don’t deny that the current government and the previous one were good for the poorest parts of the country, but it’s a lie to say that millions of people are out of poverty, as many foreign newspapers say. I live here and say that no one is out of poverty. The current government uses social programs to literally buy votes: $28 per child. It’s that what the government gives people here to help them to support their families. The problem is that most of the time these people uses money on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes instead of buying food and clothing for the children. It was a social handout often criticised by Rousseff and da Silva (President Lula) when they were younger, but ironically used by their government. 

There are also the corruption scandals. My mother is 52 and says that she has never seen so many injustices in her life.

People want food, water and work. Our government doesn’t give us that. My country is about to collapse. We want a leader, not a joke.

Marcos Arruda Raposo via GuardianWitness

I’m 73, and I feel relieved. As misery is reduced, as we no longer depend on IMF or foreign finance, as we become self-sufficient in oil, as education improves, I think the newer generations will grow in a stabler and socially fairer environment than I did.

marylin2014 via GuardianWitness

I was away from Brazil for 13 years, from 2000 to 2013, and for me the difference in this country is so clear. PT has done a good job in terms of improving the lives of the poor, people in general have more education, better jobs and can afford a better standard of living. Middle class people are no longer able to have maids, cleaners, gardeners and are therefore not happy to see Dilma reelected. 

If the other candidate had won it would be like walking backwards. I think with Dilma Brazil will continue to move forward as a country, valuing equality and a fairer income distribution for all. 

Corruption has always existed in Brazil, however, acts of corruption are now made public, corrupts have been prosecuted, sentenced and even sent to prison. Go Dilma! Go Brazil!

The important thing here was to defy the idea of going backwards” - Rafaela via GuardianWitness

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A great deal of those who voted for President Dilma are not necessarily happy with her victory, and I am one of them.

But the important thing here was to defy the idea of going backwards to the cut-throat neoliberal economic policies that are a signature feature of the PSDB party, and that was responsible for a wave of privatisations before Lula’s election in 2003.

It was to defy the candidate whose campaign is hypocritical enough to focus his attacks on the opponent based on corruption, but fails to explain his own corruption scandals. The opponent’s party voters as poor, uneducated, ignorant people. At the same time based his campaign on the idea of meritocracy that was supported by the religious fundamentalists that are nowadays blocking every sort of advance in terms of human rights in the congress.

“I just hope she becomes more flexible, more tolerant, less authoritarian” - JustThinkingaBit via GuardianWitness

Sadly her government hasn’t done anything relevant and we desperately need better management. I think all of us agree here. But they’ve done one essential thing and that is to improve the lives of the majority of the population, which happens to be the poorest. In a country historically governed by and for the oligarchs, that is a major achievement. 

I just hope she becomes more flexible, more tolerant, less authoritarian and perhaps kick start a couple of long awaited reforms, both tax and political, or 4 more years of stagnation will follow. Her second term will be much tougher considering the split in the whole country and its representatives. I think she needs to wake up and smell the coffee.