PM Golding to witness Rousseff's swearing-in

PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding will be joining a list of international dignitaries attending the swearing-in of Brazil's first woman president, Dilma Rousseff, scheduled tomorrow.

He will be accompanied by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ambassador Evadne Coye.

Golding left the island yesterday for the inauguration ceremony in Brasilia, which is expected to be attended by more than 70,000 people and over 30 international dignitaries.

On Saturday, Dilma Rousseff will receive the yellow-green presidential band from the incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to become the first woman president of the largest Latin American nation. President Lula da Silva steps down as Brazil's president after eight years in office.

Rousseff, a member of Brazil's ruling Workers' Party (PT), was elected president in a run-off on October 31, with 56.09 per cent of votes against 43.9 per cent for her opponent Jose Serra from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party.

Rousseff joined the Workers' Party in 2001. She served as minister of energy during the outgoing president's first term.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr Ken Baugh, will be in charge of the Government during the prime minister's absence. The prime minister will return to the island on January 2.