Brazil's Rousseff tries to mend post-election division

President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday struck a conciliatory tone following post-election protests by the political opposition.

Meeting with business leaders in the capital of Brasilia, Rousseff pledged to head a government for all political segments, saying "a government has to govern for all voters, regardless of who they voted for."

The president was reelected in a late October runoff by a narrow margin of some 4 percentage points.

She also stressed that knowing how to accept defeat was part of the democratic process.

In reference to a spate of protests to her reelection and even calls for impeachment on some social networks, Rousseff said "any attempt at retaliation arising from resentment on the part of those who won or those who lost (the election) represents a misunderstanding of the democratic process."

The president reiterated her willingness to dialogue with the opposition and Congress.

"The main forum for dialogue is the Congress, because that's where all the diversity of the Brazilian nation is expressed. We must value that, because being a diverse society is our main characteristic," she said.