Ex-Miss Bumbum Poses for Cheeky Photos with Husband at Ministry of Tourism

04/27/2016 - 09h03

"At the side of every great man there is always a beautiful and powerful woman." Winner of the Miss Bumbum competition in the United States in 2013, Milena Santos used this version of the old adage to illustrate a series of photos taken on Monday (25) at the Ministry of Tourism.

Wife of the new minister Alessandro Teixeira, a staunch ally of President Rousseff, Santos posed alongside her husband in a number of provocative photos that were published on social networks. Santos and Teixeira kiss, exchange glances and hold hands.

"Sharing with my friends my first day as first lady at Brazil's Ministry of Tourism," wrote Santos on her Facebook page. "I love you, my love. Together we are stronger!"

The episode has been highly embarrassing for the Planalto Palace. According to a presidential advisor, the episode "just makes worse" the image of the government at a time when the President is struggling with low approval ratings and faces impeachment proceedings in the Senate.

A frequent presence on gossip and celebrity websites, Santos became "first lady" last Friday (22), when her husband was named minister of tourism.

A member of the Workers' Party (PT), Teixeira has been a Rousseff ally since the time of her activism in Rio Grande do Sul, and in 2013 he was special advisor to the President.

Before arriving at her position on the Esplanade of Ministries, Santos participated in a beauty contest and worked as a glamour model. She has stood for the local council three times in Salvador, for which she was nominated as a standby by the Social Liberal Party (PSL).

Running under the slogan "Everything for Sport", she appeared in her campaign photos in skimpy sports shorts and a T-shirt, with a football in her hand.

On her social media profile, Santos has also expressed her opinion on the current political situation. In one post, she criticized the protests in favor of the impeachment of the President.

In 2013, after winning the Miss Bumbum competition, Santos became famous after embracing and kissing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the cheek at a PT seminar. She said she waited nearly seven hours for the chance to approach him.

In a statement, the Ministry of Tourism said that the photos in the ministerial office constitute no breach of the law. However, it also said Teixeira repudiates "the public exposure of the couple's intimacy" and the use of old photos "to denigrate the image of those involved."

With the outcry following publication of the photos, Santos deleted them on Monday night.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

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