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BBC MUNDO RADIO
BRASILIA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Former Chief of Staff and presidential candidate from the ruling Workers' Party Dilma Rousseff said Tuesday that Brazil would see a new era of prosperity by carrying on the policies implemented by the government of incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Rousseff, handpicked by Lula as the successor, hailed the achievements made by the current administration in dealing with the global financial crisis, during a debate with two other leading candidates -- former Sao Paulo governor Jose Serra from the Social Democracy Party (PSDB) and former Environment Minister Marina Silva from the Green Party (PV).
"For the first time Brazil had a strong position against the crisis, and we also conducted a countercyclical policy," she said. "We were the last country affected by the crisis and the first to recover from it."
She said Brazil's good economic performance was firstly due to good macroeconomic management with the control of inflation, the exchange rate, reserves accumulation and fiscal discipline in the public sector's primary surplus.
Secondly, policies of inclusion and mobility, income distribution and access to credit and basic services helped to create a strong domestic market and a new middle class, Rousseff said.
Thirdly, policies that encourage public investment and export diversification and exploration of new markets abroad were also effective, she added.
We are facing a new era of prosperity with a new development model," she said, adding that the country should in the future give priority to reducing the public debt-gross domestic product ratio, which currently stands at about 41 percent.
Rousseff also vowed, if elected, to promote tax reforms to further boost competitiveness, investment, exports and employment.
Meanwhile, she said she would maintain broad outlines of the current government's foreign policy as it has been "extremely worthwhile" and increased "the country's respectability abroad".
Rousseff hailed her country's approach to its Latin American neighbors as well as to Africa over the past years.
When developing relations with countries in Asia such as China, ties with traditional partners like Europe and the United States were also extended, said Lula's handpicked candidate, who also considered Brazil's efforts in solving the Iranian nuclear issue "very virtuous".
"Brazil proved ... that it is possible in relationships, regardless of differences between states, to build bridges and not to build walls," she said.
Lula, after two consecutive terms, will not run in the upcoming general elections in Brazil, but has promised to be devoted to Rousseff's electoral campaign.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority in the Oct. 3 election, a runoff will be held on Oct. 31 between the two frontrunners.
