Blog, Brazil
Brazil’s Lula Da Silva’s Campaigning Is Propelling Dilma Rousseff To Presidency
October 1, 2010 By Staff
Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, Brazil’s overwhelmingly popular president, has presided over eight years of economic growth and poverty reduction. For months now, he’s been trying to bestow that popularity onto his handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff — a lifelong public servant who has never ran for public office.
It looks as though Lula’s campaigning has paid off — polls indicate that Rousseff will handily defeat opposition candidate José Serra, though a runoff election may be needed to decide the winner. The first-round election is scheduled for this Sunday, Oct. 3.
NPR’s Juan Forero narrates Dilma Rousseff’s trajectory, from leftwing guerrilla to government bureaucrat to slick politician.
