Brazil's Elections.....

Lula is term-limited. Dilma Rousseff, also of the Worker's Party, seems to have a 20 point lead over her nearest rival. There are some other candidates which could prevent her from taking a majority of the votes and force a run-off. I think that she will end up winning.
As for Lula, I think his 8 years have been successful in that some 20-million Brazilians have gotten out of poverty. Most of those are in rural areas where agriculture is the driving economic force. Brazil has been able to establish a market for a diverse range of foods (e.g. mandating that schools buy locally grown products). That is good for both the farmers and the students - who previously ate a diet of rice and beans and rice and beans.
I would certainly defer to Fbaezer and Robert on this. But it seems to me that Lula did make some progress in Brazil.

Thank you rjb

It's a fascinating topic which I know almost nothing about

I hope rg and fb respond, but I haven't seen them around for a while

I hadn't picked up that the leading candidate is a woman....only happened across the election briefly yesterday


She's been in Lula' government, I think?

I didn't know that lula was time limited...but guessed it when I saw he wasn't standing

This topic will answer all of your questions:

http://able2know.org/topic/162158-1

BBB

Interesting, thanks BBB


I don't think it answers all my questions though....they seem to be op pieces.

I like a number of ops!!!

Oh, I changed my mind about Lula years ago.
I feared a populist government. Lula is left wing, but didn't fall to the populist temptations, tending more to socialdemocracy.

I liked his predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a lot.
But Lula's government was not only better than expected. I think it was good for Brazil and the Brazilians.

Some people say Dilma was the mastermind behind Lula's moderation (I can say she was, at least in the field of the Brazilian oil company, near bankrupcy before Cardoso and now the 4th biggest open capital company in the world). I hope they're right.

With the insufficient information I have, I am glad Dilma won and will become President after the (second round) ballotage.

Thank you fbaezer.

Echoing that. I "stopped" by the Brazil election on my way home from the marathon in Aus prior to the U.S. thing on Nov 2nd.
A number of reports in the U.S. describe her as being "a former guerrilla fighter." That strikes me as unfair.
Certainly she, like many other leaders, will have to attack the drug running, the urban violence and corruption on the political and administrative levels.