Brazil braces for presidential election

 Brazil’s presidential candidates took their last opportunity to criticize the current government and explain their future plans in a televised debate. Polls suggest that president Dilma Rousseff is likely to be re-elected to a second term, but most likely in a runoff. Former green activist Marina Silva or center right candidate Aecio Neves are the main opponents of the incumbent president. Yet they appear to be focusing most of their energy on luring voters away from Rousseff rather than each other.

Although many believe that Rousseff would most likely be the winner of a possible runoff, some experts predict a shift in the votes once the opposition candidate is formally decided. It’s almost certain that the third place candidate in Sunday’s voting will ask their supporters to vote for the opposition in a bid to prevent incumbent president from winning the election. According to the latest polls, Rousseff’s government suffers from a dismal 39% approval rating. Her Workers’ Party has now been in control of Brazil for 12 years. In the last several months, Rousseff’s administration has been implicated in several scandals, which have left her vulnerable. Silva and Neves have both been railing against Rousseff on the campaign trail, as they did in the final debate, preying on the president’s weak points. Despite the attacks, Rousseff managed to hold her own in last debate. Now she is unlikely to lose much ground before Sunday’s voting. But the discourse may very well aid opposition voters when they decide who they believe between Neves and Silva stands the better chance at defeating Rousseff in the second-round.