( CNN ) -- Dilma Rousseff 's re-election as president of Brazil on Sunday may have surprised many . After all , it was only a little over a year ago that social protests swept parts of the country as demonstrators complained that her government had failed to provide quality transportation , education and health care services . Economic growth , meanwhile , also slowed , from an annual GDP growth rate of 7.5 % in 2010 to 2.5 % in 2013 . As a result , Rousseff 's approval rating tumbled from a high of 65 % in March 2013 to 30 % later that year ( although it had climbed back up over 44 % in recent months ) . Yet she still pulled off a narrow victory in Sunday 's runoff vote . Why ? In part , her re-election suggests that most voters -- especially the poor -- were more concerned with her Workers ' Party 's impressive track record at reducing poverty . But Rousseff 's re-election also underscored the poor 's fears of selecting a fiscally conservative presidential candidate , Aécio Neves , who represented the Brazilian Social Democratic Party , which had done little to improve their lot during the 1990s . This matters in a country in which nearly half the population earns less than the minimum wage , and where the poverty rate runs unusually high for a middle-income country . Still , although poverty rates in Brazil remain high , there has been progress : Income inequality has fallen , while the percentage of Brazilians living on less than $ 2 a day dropped from 6.9 % in 2004 to 3.3 % in 2012 . This progress has come as the poor 's access to food has also burgeoned , dramatically reducing hunger across the country . Many attribute all this to Rousseff 's successful anti-poverty programs , such as the Bolsa Familia ( Family Grant ) program . Created in 2003 , Bolsa Familia is a cash transfer program that provides monthly stipends of 70 reais to approximately 13.8 million families . To receive this money , families must enroll their children in school and prove they are receiving medical vaccinations . But the Bolsa Familia program also provided a notable political advantage . The program was created by Rousseff 's political party , the PT , the brainchild of her presidential predecessor and mentor , Luiz Ignacio `` Lula '' da Silva , and quickly generated credibility and support among the poor . Because of Rousseff 's other anti-poverty programs , such as Zero Fome ( Zero Hunger ) , which expanded food benefits to the poor , and the Brasil Sem Miséria ( Brazil without Destitution ) program , the PT gained a reputation for meeting the poor 's needs . In contrast , Rousseff 's opponent , Neves , represented a party whose previous president , Fernando H. Cardoso ( 1994-2002 ) , was focused mainly on stabilizing the economy through tighter fiscal policy and privatization . Of course , the Cardoso administration was credited with improving education through federal programs increasing salaries for teachers , as well as impressive public health programs , such as the national AIDS program . But poverty alleviation and social welfare did not appear to be a priority for his government , and more voters appear to have felt that Brazil is in a better position today than it was 10 years ago . The question now is what Rousseff will do to consolidate her position . Looking ahead , she seems committed to using future oil revenues obtained through Petrobras , the largest oil company in Brazil , to provide additional funding for education and health . For example , about half the fund 's reserves will go toward primary and secondary education , such as better school infrastructure , technology , teacher salaries and college scholarships . In addition , the fund will be used to increase health care spending , with an eye on improving the quantity and quality of public hospitals and personnel . All this suggests that Rousseff appears to have learned that to be re-elected in Brazil , investing in the poor and helping them escape poverty can be more politically advantageous than simply trying to build the country into an economic giant .
Dilma Rousseff was re-elected president of Brazil on Sunday . Anti-poverty programs seen as one reason for her success , writes Eduardo J. Gomez . Rousseff likely to use future oil revenues to fund education , he says .