arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

by: genoaResistance Brazil

Lula: The new President, leftist, most voted in Brazilian history and the second most voted of the world.

For the first time in the history of Brazil, a leftist candidate, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has been elected President. After running for the presidency three times previously, Lula, the candidate of the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT), finally won this Sunday the 27th. As Jose Serra, the defeated Social Democratic Party candidate, conceded, PT supporters were celebrating in the streets (photos).

Rio de Janeiro, Lula during a meeting with brazilian artists, politics and intellectuals. (photo by AP)

He is also the most voted Brazilian in history since the verification of 75% of the votes. The candidate of the coalition PT-PCdoB-PL-PMN-PCB had added then 52,7 million votes, beating the proper record that conquered in the first turn, 39,443,765 votes. In São Paulo, the commemorations happen at the Paulista Avenue. In Rio de Janeiro, at the beach of Leme. Since the spreading of the mouth-of-ballot box research, in the end of this afternoon, the electors of Lula had been to the streets. People take the streets in most of brazilian cities, in Sao Paulo, more than 60 thousand persons were at Paulista Avenue. After disputing three times the position, the candidate of the Workers Party (PT) won the dispute in his fourth attempt.

Lula is the most voted in Brazil history, and also is the second more voted of the world in absolute numbers. Practically refined 100% of the votes, the "petista" have more than 52,7 million votes, the equivalent 61.3% of the valid ones. It almost got 20 million votes more of the Jose Serra range, that was with more than 33,3 million (38.7% of the valid ones). The "petista" pass four of the North Americans who, before the election of this sunday, were in the first places in ranking of the most voted candidates of the planet, a list that the current president of Russia also congregates, Vladimir Putin. Brazil, U.S.A. and Russia are countries which have more than 100 million voters who choose the president of direct form. Lula did not only surpass the record of the former-president of U.S.A. Ronald Reagan, who in 1984 got 54,428,537 votes. However, it exceeded the voting of the candidate Gore Jr, who, in the 2000 elections, got 50,999,897 votes of the North Americans. according to Federal Election Comission (Elections Agency of the U.S.A.), Gore did not only win George W. Bush. that it had 50,456,002 votes. because, for the North American electoral system, each State has valid one determined number of electoral votes. Bush received 537 votes more than Gore in the Florida, what consecrated he winner. Ranking of the most voted brings after that Bill Clinton (47,402,357 votes in 1998) and the Russian president Putin (39,740,434 votes in the 2000 election).

Lula at the Paulista Avenue, in São Paulo, celebrating the elections results. (photo by Rose Brasil/ABr)

Controversial alliances with the Liberal Party and with internal opponents of the conservative PMDB and PFL allowed the formation of a coalition that created the promise of a sustainable politics to take the PT to the power. It is an open question as to what extent the politicians will compromise the proposals of the PT party. Fifteen days after assuming the position, Lula will have to make a decision regarding the FTAA. This decision will not only affect Brazil, but all of the Americas.

When Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the current president, transfers the position to Lula, it will be the first time in forty years that an elected president transfers the government to the president-elect of another party. The uniqueness of the transition demonstrates the previous absence of democracy in Brazil, a country immersed in social and economic problems. While there are promises of economic growth and social justice advances, the next government faces serious challenges: external debt (pt) of US$216 billion, a social welfare deficit, and 12 million unemployed Brazilians.

*petista is how we call people from the Workers Party (PT) in Brazil.

(with information from the Brazilian Electoral Justice, genoaResistance Brasil and IMC-Brasil)

More at: genoaResistance Brasil - IMC-Brasil (portuguese) - Z Magazine Brazil Watch (english) - Lula's Official Website - Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores-PT).