"The Workers' Party (PT) changed the face of Brazil. Only those who don't want to see it can't see it."

247 – Following Senator Aécio Neves's pointing out what he considers to be the 13 failures of the PT's ten years in power, the PT leader in the Senate, Wellington Dias, took the floor. He responded to the attacks from the former governor of Minas Gerais:

"Brazil today eats, dresses, and educates itself," said Dias. "Brazil has changed, and only those who don't want to see it can't. Today, the vast majority of the poor who were once poor now belong to the middle class," he added. "The undeniable reality is that the quality of life for the Brazilian population has greatly improved. For a family that didn't have a home, what matters is having a roof over their head. For an individual who previously lacked electricity, what makes the difference is having electricity in their own home. For a poor student who previously lacked access to higher education, what matters today is access to a private or public university. For someone who didn't have a job, what matters is the formal employment contract they have today."

He listed 45 successes of the PT (Workers' Party) during its 10 years in power. The number corresponding to the PSDB's (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) number on the ballot:

1st - GDP ten times greater than in the past;

2nd - Generation of 19 million jobs compared to 5 million generated by PSDB governments;

3rd - 72% increase in the minimum wage between 2002 and 2013; "The PSDB filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against the policy of increasing the minimum wage based on GDP," he said;

4th - We promote financial inclusion;

5th - We have significantly reduced social inequalities;

6th - Social mobility has increased;

7th - There were 36 million people living in extreme poverty; today there are only 700. "The Bolsa Família program, which always faced prejudice here, has benefited 50 million people and become an example for the world."

8th - The revolution in Education is undeniable. "When I governed Piauí, the PSDB was against the national minimum wage for Education," he stated;

9th - We are boosting vocational education, with 208 teaching units throughout the country, offering 2,1 million job openings for young workers;

10th - ProUni enabled poor students to access private schools alongside rich students;

11th - Winning the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. "This is a Brazil that accepts and meets challenges."

12th - Culture reaches every corner of this country;

13th - The expansion of the Unified Health System;

14th - We established the quota policy, which the Brazilian people support, despite all the dissent in this house;

15th - The Truth Commission;

16th - We increased Brazil's international prominence;

17th - We are part of the Amazon;

18th - The BR-101 highway built by the PAC (Growth Acceleration Program);

19th - The "My House, My Life" program, which has already delivered one million homes;

20th - Tax relief;

21st - Reducing energy bills;

22nd - Petrobras' profit of R$ 21 billion reais compared to R$ 8 billion during the FHC years;

23rd - The shipbuilding industry;

24th - The resumption of power plant construction;

25th - Revitalizing the Federal Police;

26th - Restoring the pride and self-esteem of our people;

27th - Our policies in favor of women;

At this point, before reaching the promised 45 points, Dias' time was up. "I could cite thousands of positive points, not just 45. I had to make a great effort to reach just these points," Dias concluded.

"We accept debate on a defined topic in a comprehensive manner," the senator stated. "But we want a commitment to the truth. It was said here that the PT did not sign the 1988 Constitution, but Senator Paulo Paim is here who signed it, and I signed it too. We had disagreements, but we signed it."

He made a point of defending former President Lula and President Dilma Rousseff. "We are proud of our leaders. But look, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso suffered discrimination within the PSDB, which even became ashamed of his government. We, on the other hand, are proud of our leaders."