Global General

Brazil's first female president to inaugurate

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-12-28 09:55

BRASILIA - Brazil's first female President-elect, Dilma Rousseff, will be inaugurated in Brasilia Saturday, with some 30 international dignitaries due to attend the swearing-in ceremony, Brazil's official media said Monday.

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"The heads of state of Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Suriname and Chile have confirmed their presence," Brazilian Chief of Protocol, Ambassador George Prata, who is responsible for organizing the ceremony, said after a rehearsal Sunday.

"The delegation from Argentina hasn't confirmed yet. The prime minister of South Korea, the Prince of Asturias (of Spain) and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are expected to come," Prata said.

The ceremony, which will attract an audience of 20,000, is scheduled to begin at 2:10 pm local time (1610 GMT) on Saturday in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasilia.

Rousseff will be driven in a presidential Rolls Royce to the National Congress. The vehicle will be accompanied by federal police officers and about 1,300 members of the Armed Forces.

From the Congress, Rousseff will go to the Planalto Palace, which is the presidential palace, where she will receive a presidential sash and give a speech.

"The details of the ceremony will depend on weather. We rehearsed two versions, one for a sunny day and one for a rainy day," Prata said.

After the speech, Rousseff will greet heads of state, ministers and other officials at a cocktail reception at the foreign ministry.

The whole event is expected to end at 9 pm local time (2300 GMT).

Rousseff, member of Brazil's ruling Workers' Party (PT), was elected president in a runoff on Oct 31, with 56.09 percent of votes against 43.9 percent for her opponent Jose Serra, from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).

Rousseff joined the Workers' Party in 2001. She served as energy minister during outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's first term. In June 2005, she took office as Lula's chief of staff, but left the post this April to run for the presidency.