Estado de S. Paulo, 04/01/10
Dilma Rousseff (PT) and José Serra (PSDB) stepped down from their respective positions on Wednesday, March 31, to face the polls in October. Both are pre-candidates running to succeed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as president of Brazil.
In the ceremony in honor of the PT candidate, Rousseff stressed the need to continue activities of the Lula government. She said that she is leaving her position by renewing her promise to fight for a better life for the Brazilian people. “We are saying goodbye. But not like those that say goodbye forever. We’re more saying a ‘see you soon,’” said Rousseff.
Serra, gathered with supporters in the Palácio dos Bandeirantes in São Paulo, affirmed his commitment to a popular government and rejected robbery by public officials. “Governments, like people, need to have a soul. Our soul is the willingness to improve the lives of those who are helpless,” he stated. For Serra, his administration as governor of São Paulo gave “opportunities for the poor” by providing assistance programs and better healthcare, education, and transportation. He also highlighted the creation of one million new jobs under his administration.
Serra stressed that the central points of his governing style are character and honor. “Governments must have honor. Here we do not cultivate scandals, misdeeds, or thievery. We have never supported the silence of complicity and the collusion with wrongdoing.”
Brazil Portal 