Lula’s Candidate Wins First Round of Elections in Brazil
Brazil went through the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, with the voters of the fourth-largest democratic country in the world casting their ballot for a new president.
There are three major candidates to the presidency which are expected to take the place of the incumbent president Ignacio Lula da Silva.
After the counting of 99.8 percent of the votes in the first round, Dilma Rousseff, 62, the candidate handpicked by Lula himself, a former Marxist activist, scores nearly 47 percent of the votes, Jose Serra, who is the main challenger of Rousseff has 32.6 percent while a third candidate, Marina Silva, Green Party’s candidate, and former environment minister in the cabinet of Lula, scores 19 percent.
Even though most analysts consider Dilma Rousseff as the winner of the elections and the next president of the Federal Republic of Brazil, it is highly unlikely that she could score more than 50 percent in order to avoid runoffs with the challenger Jose Serra on October 31.
“I will confront the second round with most drive and energy,” Rousseff said, “I will have the opportunity to explain the program of eradication of misery, and take the country to the next level of development.”
If Delma Rousseff wins the elections she is going to be the first woman president of Brazil, the largest country of South America, with 200 million population and a rising economy, which could emerge as a economic world power, with a flowering export of raw materials.
Under Lula’s rule Brazil became the eighth-largest economy in the world, 20 million people escaped acute poverty and Rio de Janeiro was appointed as the city where the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held.
Lula became president in 2002, after running for president four times in a row. Before he took office he used to be a loud union organizer, wearing Che Guevara T-shirts and a bushy beard.
Since he became president, he tried to project his country on the world stage as a major player, getting involved in the 
supporting the economy of some African countries, and becoming the leading country in the Latin America.
The main problem of Brazil foreign policy is the controversial choices Lula made. Thus, he strengthened ties with Cuba’s Fidel Castro or with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Brazil and Turkey brokered a deal this year designed to reduce concern over Iran’s uranium-enrichment program.
Dilma Rousseff is expected to follow into the steps of Lula in the foreign politics. “Brazil’s position is proactive,” an analysts said, “and there is no reason for Dilma to change it.”
During the campaign, Serra accused Lula’s policy as cooperation with a dictator, referring of course to Ahmadinejad. Dilma replied she would never weaver defending the human rights. Lula distinguished himself this summer, when he offered political asylum to Sakineth Mohammadi Ashianti, the women who was sentenced to death by stoning in Iran.
Many people think that the next president will ensure a Lula administration without Lula. The president of Brazil is enjoying a huge popularity in his country, but can no longer run for office, having exhausted the two terms prescribed by the state’s constitution.11
