Former Brazilian President Rousseff hospitalized in Shanghai: Brazilian media

Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, now head of the BRICS bloc's development bank, has been hospitalized in Shanghai, Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported on Monday, citing the hospital.

Rousseff, 77, was chosen to lead the New Development Bank (NDB) in 2023. Folha reported that she was hospitalized at the Shanghai Eastern International Medical Center after experiencing hypertension, vomiting and dizziness on Friday.

The NDB, which is based in the Chinese city, did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.

The Shanghai East International Medical Center and a representative for Rousseff could not immediately be reached for comment.

Rousseff, Brazil's first female president, led the country from 2011 until being impeached in 2016.

How do you think Rousseff's hospitalization will affect the NDB leadership?

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Editor’s note: Dilma Rousseff will assume the presidency of the BRICS New Development Bank (NBD) in March 2023, succeeding Marcos Troyjo. The NDB was founded in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa with the aim of financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging economies. During her tenure in Brazil, Rousseff faced an economic and political crisis that culminated in her impeachment in 2016, accused of fiscal manipulation, although she and her supporters called it a “parliamentary coup.”

The BRICS have sought to strengthen their global influence, and under Rousseff, the NDB has worked on strategies to reduce dependence on the dollar in its transactions, exploring deals in local currencies. Her hospitalization in Shanghai occurs in a context of the bank's greater role in international financial geopolitics.