Dilma's emotional reunion with her past.
The presidential trip to Bulgaria is sentimental: a woman's reunion with her roots; daughter of Peter, who left his homeland in 1929, Dilma is treated like a superstar and sought after by all the Bulgarian election candidates.
247 – For the first time in history, a Brazilian head of government is going to Bulgaria. A mission with no economic purpose. It's purely sentimental. Bulgaria, with a GDP of US$48,7 billion, barely has business or commercial relations with Brazil. But it was there that Peter Rousseff, Dilma's father, was born and raised. He was a militant of the communist party and, in 1929, left his country in search of better opportunities. In Brazil, as a lawyer, Peter made a relative fortune and provided a good standard of living for his children. Dilma, the rebellious daughter, spent less time with her father than she would have liked. Peter died in September 1962, before the 1964 military coup, which led Dilma to immerse herself in the armed struggle. Her father's influence was decisive in the political trajectory of the former guerrilla fighter who became president. And as soon as she took office, she instructed Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota to include Bulgaria in the itinerary of her first European trip.
Dilma landed in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, early Tuesday evening. And the city of Gabrovo, her father's birthplace, prepared a superstar reception for the most illustrious daughter of the Rousseff family. They even unearthed the president's family tree, which begins in 1735, and obtained Peter Rousseff's original high school diploma, dated July 29, 1918.
Gabrovo will have municipal elections in two weeks. It's said to be a more heated contest than an election in Brazil. And Bulgaria will also have presidential elections, with no fewer than 18 candidates. Everyone wants to take pictures next to Dilma. Peter Rousseff didn't live long enough to see his daughter, to whom he passed on his values and worldview, experience her moment of glory.
And Dilma, who is called the Bulgarian pit bull by many in Brazil, will probably get emotional during this first sentimental episode as head of government.