(07/05/10) -

Rousseffs Bid Grows Stronger in Brazil

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Dilma Rousseff’s bid to become the next president of Brazil is gaining momentum, according to a poll by Ibope. 40 per cent of respondents would vote for Rousseff of the ruling Workers’ Party (PT) in this year’s election, up three points since May.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Dilma Rousseff’s bid to become the next president of Brazil is gaining momentum, according to a poll by Ibope. 40 per cent of respondents would vote for Rousseff of the ruling Workers’ Party (PT) in this year’s election, up three points since May.

Jose Serra of the Brazilian Party of Social Democracy (PSDB) is now in second place with 35 per cent, followed by Marina Silva of the Green Party (PV) with nine per cent.

In a second round scenario, Rousseff holds a seven-point lead over Serra.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva—a member of the PT—won the October 2002 presidential election with 61 per cent of the vote in a run-off against Serra. In October 2006, he earned a new four-year term, defeating PSDB candidate Geraldo Alckmin with 60.8 per cent of the vote in the second round.

Lula has publicly endorsed Rousseff as his preferred successor. In February, the PT officially selected Rousseff as the party’s presidential candidate.

In March, Rousseff stepped down as Lula’s chief of staff and Serra resigned as governor of the state of Sao Paulo in order to launch their presidential bids.

On Jun. 13, Rousseff commented on her preferred fiscal policies, saying, "We will invest to computerize all our taxes and increase the number of taxpayers while reducing the tax rates."

Lula is ineligible for a third term in office. The first round of Brazil’s next presidential election is scheduled for Oct. 3.

Polling Data

Which of these candidates would you vote for in the next presidential election?

Run-off scenario

Source: Ibope
Methodology: Interviews with 2,002 Brazilian adults, conducted from Jun. 19 to Jun. 21, 2010. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.