BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEF CUTS HER SALARY 10% & RESHUFFLED HER CABINET

USPA NEWS - Dilma Rousseff is serving her second term as president. She is classifed by Forbes as #7 most powerful Women in the World in 2015 and #4 in 2014. She was #31 most Powerful People in the World (2014). As Brazil's first female president, she was elected in 2010...

Dilma Rousseff is serving her second term as president. She is classifed by Forbes as #7 most powerful Women in the World in 2015 and #4 in 2014. She was #31 most Powerful People in the World (2014). As Brazil's first female president, she was elected in 2010 and was on track to end poverty in the world's seventh-largest economy. She was previously the chief of staff of the President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from 2005 to 2010.

It is not just the drop in global prices for Brazilian commodities like iron ore, the slumping demand in markets like China, or even the brewing corruption scandal at the national oil company that was hurting the country, Ms. Roussef's policies were taking a toll too, the officials concede. Ms Roussef has issued a mea culpa, saying she experiences a series of 'scares' shortly after her re-election as the crisis grew far more serious than she had imagined.

Ms Roussef maintained a majority approval rating throughout her first term. Also she was cited as the preferential candidate for 58% of the voters in 2014 presidential election, in which she was reelected. Ms Roussef's popularity is attributed to popular measures of her government. The lowering of the 'overnight rate' (interest rate that large banks use to borrow and lend from one another in the overnight market) conducted by the Central Bank of Brazil is also mentioned as a cause for Ms Roussef' popularity. In early 2015, her popularity began to decline.

Brazilian president Dilma Roussef decided to cut her own salary by 10%, slashed eight ministries and reshuffled her cabinet. She said that it would 'garantee the political stability of the nation' and 'strenghten relations between the parties and members of parliament who support the government'.

Luiz Gonzaga, advisor to former President Lula da Silva said 'The governement has become big and foolish, and lost its management capacity. So from that point of view, this change is very welcome.' But the new measures highlight the weakness of a President who is facing a hostile Congress, an unhappy public and a punishing financial climate.