Marina Silva

Rousseff extends first-round lead; ties with Silva in runoff

Anadolu Agency

SÃO PAULO — Brazil’s incumbent president Dilma Rousseff has extended her first-round lead over main rival Marina Silva, but a highly-likely runoff in October’s presidential elections remains a tie, a poll of voter intentions published Monday showed.

The results of a Vox Populi poll, commissioned by Brazil’s Record television network and which surveyed 2,000 people Sept. 13-14, said Workers’ Party candidate Rousseff received 36 percent of voter support, nine points ahead of Silva, the Socialist Party candidate, who came in at 27 percent.

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Brazil voters ‘unmoved by Petrobras scandal’

Anadolu Agency*

SÃO PAULO — Brazilian voters have been largely unmoved by accusations which surfaced this week of a major political scandal involving state-run oil company Petrobras, allegedly implicating an array of top political figures, the latest poll published on Wednesday shows.

The most recent Datafolha poll, which surveyed 10,568 eligible voters across the country on 8-9 September, shows a widening gap between the top two candidates in the first round — incumbent president and Workers’ Party (PT) candidate Dilma Rousseff, and environmentalist Socialist Party (PSB) candidate Marina Silva — who scored 36 percent and 33 percent, respectively.

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Brazil elections ‘now a race between Rousseff, Silva’

Anadolu Agency

SÃO PAULO — A second debate between Brazil’s top presidential candidates on national TV on Monday showed the race for the presidency is now one to be fought between incumbent president Dilma Rousseff and environmentalist Marina Silva, according to a key political analyst.

Broadcast on the public SBT television channel, Brazil’s seven top presidential candidates took each other to task over hot-button topics in a debate dominated by the economy.

Previously seen as a battle between Rousseff and former Minas Gerais governor Aécio Neves, Monday’s debate appeared to mark a turning-point in the race, recently upended by the dramatic entry of Silva, a former senator and environment minister, as a presidential candidate.

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Brazil holds first 2014 presidential TV debate

Anadolu Agency*

SÃO PAULO — Brazil’s leading presidential candidates went head-to-head late on Tuesday in the first televised debate ahead of October’s general election.

Seven of the 11 presidential candidate took part in the event, including incumbent president and Workers’ Party candidate, Dilma Rousseff, and her two main rivals, Marina Silva of the Brazilian Socialist Party, and Social Democracy Party candidate Aécio Neves.

The rivals were asked to define their positions on crime, education, the economy, and political reform, as well as taking one another to task on other prickly issues, such as the oil giant Petrobras, the legalisation of abortion, and crimes against the LGBT community.

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Marina Silva confirmed as Brazil presidential candidate

Anadolu Agency

SÃO PAULO — Environmental activist and evangelical Christian Marina Silva will run for president for the Brazilian Socialist Party-led electoral coalition, it was officially confirmed late on Wednesday at the party’s headquarters in the Brazilian capital, Brasília.

Federal deputy Beto Albuquerque was also confirmed as Silva’s vice presidential running mate, in what local media reported as a unanimous decision between the six parties that make up the coalition.

Party leaders were forced to form a new presidential ticket after presidential candidate and former governor of Pernambuco state, Eduardo Campos, was killed last Wednesday in a plane crash.

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