Brazil Finds It Takes a Woman to Confront Congress Without Fear
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When Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s coalition leader in the Senate helped defeat her nominee for a top regulatory post last month, her response was swift: she fired Romero Juca after 12 years on the job.
While congressional allies have bristled at moves to establish her authority like ousting Juca, cutting earmarks and sacking ministers accused of corruption, they have paid off with the public. Rousseff’s approval rating in a March poll released yesterday was 77 percent, the highest of any leader in the Group of 20. They have also helped create a political identity separate from her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.