Social movements come out in support of Dilma Rousseff
President Dilma Rousseff and the chair of the National Students' Union, Carina Vital, at the president's talk with social movements held at the presidential palace
During a meeting with members of social movements on Thursday (Aug. 13) at Palácio do Planalto, the presidential office, President Dilma Rousseff again spoke out for democracy and respect for election results. “We must uphold democracy at all costs,” she said recalling the time when she was jailed during the military dictatorship.
“Respect is not about pleasing the opponent. I'll keep fighting until the polling day. After it's done I'll just abide by the election result,” Rousseff said. She spoke for over an hour after hearing representatives from eight organizations who reject any possibility of ousting President Rousseff before her term expires in 2018. They also reiterated their concerns about the effects of the austerity policy on the government's social programs.
The president said she will deal with the current situation in a way that will not go back on social policy. “I'm not here to fix all of these problems this year. I'm here to solve these problems and hand over a much better country on December 31, 2018,” she said.
She instanced the More Doctors program and the Minha Casa Minha Vida affordable housing program as initiatives to overcome social gaps in Brazil, and was greeted with shouts of support from the crowd that “there will be no coup”.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Social movements come out in support of Dilma Rousseff
