Jan 1 (Reuters) - Dilma Rousseff, who will become Brazil's first woman president on Saturday, is a former leftist militant who rose through the ranks of the Workers' Party and will now lead one of the world's fastest-growing emerging economies. [ID:nN01155930]
Here are five facts about Rousseff, 63:
* Outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva plucked Rousseff from relative obscurity two years ago to be his party's chosen candidate, citing her managerial experience and technical capacity.
* The daughter of a well-to-do Bulgarian immigrant, Rousseff was born into a middle-class family and did post-graduate studies in economics.
* After a 1964 coup gave rise to a military dictatorship, Rousseff joined a radical leftist resistance group. She says she never engaged in armed conflict, but was imprisoned for three years on charges of subversion and repeatedly tortured by her military captors.
* Rousseff proposes a mix of market-friendly policies with a strong role for the state in economic development, particularly in the energy sector as Brazil develops massive new offshore oil fields in the coming decade.
* Rousseff was treated for lymphoma cancer in 2009 and briefly wore a wig as she underwent chemotherapy. She has been given a clean bill of health by her doctors.