Will there be a first woman president of Brazil?

In the upcoming presidential election in Brazil, there is a possibility that two female candidates will run for the presidency.

More information can be read in this weeks The New York Times.

The feminist president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has postulated Dilma Rousseff to succeed him. She is da Silva’s chief of staff.

The other woman rumored to also be a candidate is Marina Silva. She grew up in the Amazon collecting rubber and then migrated to the city of Rio Branco where she later graduated from college, became a teacher, and then the president’s environmental minister.

Although Ms. Silva is an icon in the environmental movement, it is said her illnesses can cost her the presidency. She has struggled with hepatitis, malaria, and heavy metals contamination.

Unfortunately, there is also skepticism about the other candidate; Ms. Rousseff, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for lymphoma.

People think their illnesses might affect their presidency.

Although skeptics call into question the health of these two potential candidates, it is possible that their prominence in Brazil’s politics is enough to overcome the doubts and ensure the first woman president of Brazil.

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