Unpredictable second round of Brazil's presidential election

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 | 15:19:33

(VOVworld) – The Brazilian people will return for a second round of voting in Brazil’s presidential election, as none of the candidates gained a majority of votes in the first round. The two candidates with the most votes in the first round, President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers’ Party (PT) and senator Aecio Neves of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), are set to face each other in a run-off election on October 26.

The Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) reported that President Dilma Rousseff received 41.08 percent of the vote and Aecio Neves received 34.2 percent. Prominent candidate Marina Silva dropped out of the race after receiving 21 percent.

Unpredictable second round of Brazil's presidential election - ảnh 1

Local newspaper cover the result of the first Presidential election

Advantages of the top two candidates

Dilma Rousseff is Brazil’s first female President. Backed by former President Lula da Silva, she won the presidential election in 2010, and has led Brazil to remarkable socio-economic progress. A recent UN report said that under the leadership of Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Lula da Silva, the poverty rate in Brazil fell 75%, the malnutrition rate was halved, and unemployment dropped to 5%. The results were attributed to the government’s effort to generate jobs, provide financial support, and build housing for millions of low-income people.

During the presidential campaign, Rousseff pledged to continue the landmark social and economic programs which have been in place for more than 12 years and have lifted 40 million Brazilians out of poverty.

54-year-old Aecio Neves, the scion of a political dynasty and business-world favorite, is President of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB). He was President of the Lower House of Congress and is currently a member of the Brazilian Federal Senate. Popular with investors and businessmen, Mr. Neves was once Governor of prosperous Minas Gerais state. He was successful with programs to restore the state’s financial sector, provide textbooks for secondary students, and Braille for visually impaired people. Aecio Neves has different economic and foreign policy views from the government but he has pledged to expand the present socio-economic programs.

Unpredictable moves

The public was surprised by the first round result when Aecio Neves beat out Marina Silva to face incumbent President Rousseff in a run-off election. The result was a spectacular reversal of polling prior to the election. The local media often referred to the election as a race between two female candidates. The public now hesitates to predict the run-off result.

The recent economic recession has had a big influence on President Rousseff’s achievements. An economic growth rate of 4% has shrunk to 1.5% in recent years. Inflation has increased to over 6.5%. Protests in 2013 of poor public services and huge spending on organizing the World Cup have dragged the approval rating of the President and the government down to 30% from a high of 78%. Rousseff has also been battered by a corruption scandal implicating dozens of politicians at state-owned oil giant Petrobras.

Brazil's new president will be decided on October 26. However, with the advantages of each candidate, the results of the run-off will be unpredictable.