Lula ahead in Brazilian election (from exit polls)

[muriel_volestrangler]

Incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Polls has taken a clear lead in the Brazilian presidential election, an early exit poll suggested.

But it is unclear whether he secured the 50% of votes needed for outright victory in the first round.
...
The exit poll, by TV Globo, said Lula had 50% of the vote, while Mr Alckmin had 38% of the vote.

Lula - as he is known - needs a simple majority to avoid a second round run-off in four weeks' time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5397772.stm

[bluestateguy]

1. Who is the Lefty and who is the Righty? Who likes Bush and who doesn't?

That's all that's of concern to me.

[ck4829]

2. Who isn't?

Almost every party in that election is Liberal, Socialist, Communist, or Centrist.

Lula himself is a Lefty who is an ally of Hugo Chavez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_general_election%2C_2006#President_and_Vice-President

[Zynx]

5. Lula has had a pretty big falling out with Chavez.

Lula feels that Chavez has been interfering in Brazilian affairs such as the Bolivian natural gas issues and things like that. Opinion in Brazil is very divided over Chavez.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

11. Indeed. Die of envy, suckas!

The rightmost candidate is about as right-wing as Howard Dean.

Ain't Brazil wonderful?

[Zynx]

4. Alckmin is left of center(in theory), but Lula is moreso.

Alckmin is basically a clone of Cardoso.

[w4rma]

3. Good. (nt)

[Minstrel Boy]

6. There is a better choice, who's unfortunately going to lose:

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sep 18 (IPS) - A small woman whose apparent fragility is deceptive and is belied by her sharp tongue is running for president in Brazil on a platform based on cherished causes of the left that she feels have been betrayed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Workers Party (PT).

Heloisa Helena de Moares Carvalho, who has held a seat in the Senate since 1999, is known for her loud expressions of indignation in a campaign that otherwise remains muted with just two weeks to go to the elections, even though voters will choose a new president, governors in the country's 27 states, and members of state and national parliaments.

The candidate of the tiny Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), which she founded with other leftist leaders in June 2004, Heloisa Helena -- as she is known -- surprised the country, and the world, when she earned 10 percent poll ratings in July.

The opinion poll results indicated that she could have a strong influence on what were expected to be polarised elections between Lula and his main rival, social democrat Geraldo Alckmin.

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34767




When Lula won the presidential elections in late 2002, Brazil's workers and poor looked forward to a new era. After a history of extreme social inequality, reinforced by long periods of military dictatorship in the 20th century, Brazil had elected as president a former metalworker and union leader raised in poverty, who became a leader on the left.

But even during the campaign, Lula signaled his direction by choosing as his vice president José Alencar, a textile industry CEO from the right-wing Liberal Party.

Once in office, Lula's performance pleased Wall Street, Washington and Brazil's world-class agribusiness interests. As Latin America expert and author James Petras noted, Lula's early "achievements" included slashing pensions for public-sector workers by 30 percent, cutting spending for health and education by 5 percent, and pushing through legislation making it easier to fire workers.

...

As James Petras concludes, "The empirical data on all the key indicators demonstrate that Lula fits closer to the profile of a right-wing neoliberal politician rather than a 'center-leftist' president."

http://www.counterpunch.org/sustar09282006.html

[maddezmom]

7. Scandal-hit Lula faces run-off in Brazil

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva must fight his main challenger in a run-off vote after many Brazilians turned against him in Sunday's presidential election and punished the former union leader for a string of corruption scandals.

Brazil's electoral court said that Lula just failed to garner the 50 percent of votes needed to be re-elected in the first round and he would face a run-off against Geraldo Alckmin of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party.

"I'm going into the second round with a great chance of winning ... We're going to have an ethical, honest and efficient government," Alckmin, the former governor of Sao Paulo state who is close to the business elite, told cheering supporters.

Lula was just shy of 49 percent while Alckmin took 41 percent of the vote.

link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061002/wl_nm/brazil_election_dc

[Judi Lynn]

9. Super headline, isn't it? I think it's a step up from the earlier attempt

to label him a drunkard! They really worked that angle hard for a while a year or two ago, and eventually just gave up. Apparently it just didn't get the negativity generated his enemies were hoping to see.

[fujiyama]

8. Doesn't most (or all) of Brazil

use electronic voting? Anyone familiar with its history there and whether there have been issues with tampering/fraud with it?

[Eugene]

10. AP: Brazil Presidential Race Goes to Runoff

Brazil Presidential Race Goes to Runoff

By HAROLD OLMOS, Associated Press Writer

Monday, October 2, 2006

(10-02) 02:59 PDT BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) --

Voter outrage over alleged corruption and dirty tricks left Brazil's president
facing a tough runoff for a second term after his main rival staged a surprise
comeback.

Polls had predicted that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would trounce
the center-right Geraldo Alckmin with far more than the 50 percent plus one
vote needed to win the contest in the first round.

But with 99.9 percent of the vote counted by early Monday morning, Silva got
48.6 percent compared to 41.6 percent for Alckmin, the former governor of Sao
Paulo state, Brazil's richest and most populous.

It was a stunning setback for Silva.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/10/01/international/i200600D12.DTL