RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — President Barack Obama says Brazil’s transition to democracy serves as an example for countries in the Middle East where protesters are pushing for more political freedoms.
Obama says Brazil’s shift from a military dictatorship shows how a call for change that starts in the streets can transform a country. With its booming economy, Obama says Brazil proves that democracies deliver both freedom and opportunity for their people.
Obama spoke in the Theatro Municipal performance hall on Cinelandia Plaza, the site of a 1984 protest that set the stage for the eventual end of a 20-year military dictatorship in Brazil.
Brazil is Obama’s first stop on a three-country, five-day tour of Latin America.
