Editing Politics of Brazil (section)

=== Rousseff government (2011–2016) ===
{{Main|Presidency of Dilma Rousseff}}

In 2011, Rousseff became the first woman to be elected president of Brazil.

In 2015 and 2016, many demonstrations were held against Rousseff demanding for her to be impeached because of corruption scandals.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31899507|title=Big rallies against Brazil president|date=2015-03-16|access-date=2019-03-16|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116235706/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31899507|archive-date=2017-11-16|url-status=live}}</ref> According to studies by the [[Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics]] (Ibope), 70-80% of demonstrators questioned supported harsher sentences for criminal offences, and a reduction of the age of criminal responsibility to 16. Between 2010 and 2016, support for the death penalty increased from 31% to 49%, and the number of people declaring themselves conservative from 49% to 59%.

The decline in poverty and the development of the middle class during the Lula years also allowed right-wing parties to address broader segments of the electorate on economic issues. "The new lower middle class dream of being entrepreneurs and consumers" according to the Perseu Abramo Foundation. "They are very sensitive to the meritocracy rhetoric of the right and the evangelical churches, and less affected by the PT message, which is still aimed at the poor".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://mondediplo.com/2017/12/07brazil-right |title=Brazil's right challenges the Workers' Party, by Anne Vigna (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, December 2017) |access-date=2019-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130232840/https://mondediplo.com/2017/12/07brazil-right |archive-date=2017-11-30 |url-status=live }}</ref>