Dilma Rousseff has been sworn into office as Brazil's first female president. An estimated 70,000 people gathered for the inauguration ceremony in the country's capital, Brasilia.
Rousseff has taken over from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who left office after two terms. Shortly after the official inauguration ceremony, Rousseff spoke to the nation and pledged to protect the most vulnerable and govern for the benefit of all. In a speech addressing the country, she also made clear that she was aware of the key problems faced by Brazil and assured that she would fulfil her promise of "consolidating the achievements" of her mentor, former president Lula.
Brazil's economy, currently enjoying a boom, inspires confidence in the country's future but Brazil still remains one of the main countries with the most unequal distribution of wealth.
Rousseff, who was appointed as energy minister in President Lula's government in 2003, later served as his chief of staff until 2010. Elected in October 2010, defeating opposition candidate Jose Serra by 56 per cent to 44 per cent in the second round, Rousseff said that her time in office was "just the beginning of a new era."
Sources: Radio Free Europe, Wall Street Journal, BBC News, Al Jazeera
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