Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday was sworn in for a second term in office.

During her inaugural speech, Ms Rousseff, 67, vowed to boost the country’s economy.

“Brazil must return to the path of growth,” she said. “The first steps of this journey are an overhaul of public accounts, increasing domestic savings, beefing up investments and improving productivity.”

Growth in the Brazilian economy is forecast to have been flat in 2014.

Ms Rousseff also vowed to rein in government spending to curb inflation, and pledged to extend social welfare programmes that have lifted millions out of poverty. “Brazilians want high-quality health and education services,” she said.

Ms Rousseff was re-elected by a narrow margin in a run-off vote in October.