US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton together with other foreign dignitaries will attend the inauguration of the new President of Brazil, the Bulgaria-descended Dilma Rousseff.

On January 1, 2011, Dilma Rousseff, the daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant named Petar Rusev, will receive the yellow-green presidential band from the incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and will become the first woman President of the largest Latin American nation.

Lula is leaving the Brazilian Presidency after serving two terms, and with an approval rating of the record 87%.

In addition to Clinton, nine Latin American Presidents will attend Rousseff's inauguration – the Presidents of Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Guatemala, Guiana, Peru, El Salvador, Uruguay, and Venezuela have already confirmed their attendance, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced.

The Prime Ministers of Portugal, South Korea, and Haiti as well as the Spanish Prince Felipe are also expected to attend.

Over the fall of 2010, Rousseff's rise to prominence in Brazil and her election to the presidency have led to a "Dilma fever" in Bulgaria causing many Bulgarians and the Bulgarian media to focus their attention on Brazil and Latin America.

Many in Bulgaria hope that Dilma's Bulgarian origin will help boost the economic and other ties between Bulgaria and Brazil.