Brazil to decide on new president in a week’s time
by Marc Burleigh
SAO PAULO, Oct 23, (AFP) - In a week’s time, Brazil’s 136 million
voters will decide their next president: the former right-hand woman of
outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or an efficient
ex-governor of Sao Paulo state. The polls point to a likely victory for
Lula’s choice: Dilma Rousseff, his 62-year-old former chief minister who
narrowly missed out on outright victory in an October 3 first round of
the presidential elections.
Jose Serra, the 68-year-old self-proclaimed technocrat who faces her
in next week’s runoff, trails by a significant margin.
To get a shot at a possible upset, he has to snatch almost all the 19
million votes that went to a defeated Greens Party candidate in the
first round, Marina Silva — an unlikely feat, analysts say.
But both Serra and Rousseff are doing all they can to sway Silva’s
support base, most notably by wooing evangelical voters who flocked to
her because of a perception that Rousseff would legislate the ruling
Workers’ Party opposition to Brazil’s ban on abortion.
Rousseff’s advantage is clear, recent polls show.
On Thursday, the Ibope firm put Rouseff ahead with 51 percent of
voter intentions, against 40 percent for Serra.
Vox Populi recently gave Rousseff the biggest lead, with 51 to 39
percent and Datafolha credited Lula’s chosen heir with 47 percent, to 41
percent for the ex-governor.
And another firm, Sensus, saw Rousseff with 47 percent and Serra with
43 percent — close to a statistical tie, given the typical margin of
error of plus or minus two percentage points. After climbing slightly
over past weeks, Serra seems to be stalling in his bid to pick up more
votes, even in the wealthier southeast of the country which is his
stronghold.
“Dilma is going up in the southeast and maintains her advantage in
the north and the northeast. This isn’t good news for Serra, and the
scales seem to be tipping in favor of Lula’s candidate,” a political
analyst, David Fleisher, told AFP.
Rousseff, who has tried to soften her somewhat harsh, lumbering
presentation through cosmetic surgery, is doing well in the polls
largely thanks to the unprecedented popularity enjoyed by Lula, who has
stumped tirelessly for her.
The outgoing president, who has to step down at the end of the year
after finishing the maximum allowed two consecutive terms, has over 80
percent support.
His protegee has vowed to maintain his policies, which have brought
financial stability and prosperity to Brazil while lifting millions out
of poverty.
Serra, likewise, aims to pursue domestic policies in place, though he
presages a rupture in the diplomatic area by dropping cosy relations
with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his radical leftist allies in
Latin America.
Rousseff in particular is keen to make sure the issue of abortion
does not trip her up again.
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