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Rousseff a favourite with Brazilians- Poll
March 23, 2013, 8:28 am

Dilma Rousseff has taken several measures, including tax cuts, to push the economy forward [Xinhua]

Dilma Rousseff has taken several measures, including tax cuts, to push the economy forward [Xinhua]

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is a clear favorite to win the next general election in 18 months, according to the latest poll results.

Sixty three per cent of Brazilians agree with the manner of President Rousseff’s handling of the country’s economy.

At 65 years old, Ms Rousseff is serving the third year of her 4 year tenure.

The Ibope poll released on Friday by the O Estado de Sao Paulo daily shows that 52 per cent of Brazilian voters backed Rousseff if elections were to be held now, while another 24 per cent said they might vote for her.

Ms Rousseff is the third most powerful woman in the world according to the Power Women list of Forbes.

Only 20 per cent said they would not vote for Rousseff no matter what, according to the poll.

The new poll was conducted among 2,002 voters from 142 municipalities nationwide with a 2 per cent margin of error.

Brazil’s economy grew at a slightly faster pace than expected in January, prompting some relief for President Rousseff, who has spearheaded a number of initiatives to boost GDP.

An earlier Ibope poll found a record-high 63 per cent approval rate for the president, compared to 39 per cent for her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the same point of his first term.

However, Lula still got re-elected.

After posting a weak 0.9 per cent GDP in 2012, Ms Rousseff has implemented a series of measures to boost growth.

With inputs from Agencies