Lula protege ahead in Brazil presidential vote

A former leftist rebel who was the handpicked candidate of Brazil’s popular President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came in first Sunday in a three-way race to succeed him, but could not ride the incumbent’s coattails to a first-round victory.

FOR THE RECORD:
Brazilian presidential election: An article in the Oct. 4 Section A about the results of the first round in Brazil’s presidential balloting said candidate Dilma Rousseff declined photographers’ request to flash a victory sign after voting. In fact, she did flash the “V” sign. —

Dilma Rousseff went into Sunday’s balloting with a commanding lead over Social Democrat Jose Serra, but nearly complete returns show she came up short of the majority she needed to win outright and avoid a runoff.

With more than 98% of the vote counted, Rousseff had about 47%, Serra 33% and former Environment Minister Marina Silva 20%. A total of nine candidates ran, and about 135 million people across the vast country were eligible to vote. If final totals confirm the result, the runoff will be held Oct. 31.

Although Rousseff, the 62-year old daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant, has never held elective office, she is expected to eventually win and succeed Lula, under whom she served as energy minister and chief of staff.

The surprisingly strong showing by Silva, the Green Party candidate, probably cost Rousseff the outright victory.

After voting in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, Rousseff declined photographers’ request to flash a “V” for victory.

“First round or second round, I believe we fought the good fight,” she said before heading to the capital, Brasilia, to follow the day’s developments with the president.

Many Brazilians said they were seeking continuity. Over his two terms in office, Lula, a former metalworker and union leader, successfully guided the Brazilian economy through the global crisis, landed the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and raised Brazil’s profile internationally.

“I voted for Dilma because she will continue what Lula did,” said 53-year-old homemaker Angela Castellar after casting her ballot in Sao Paulo.

Castellar acknowledged that Rousseff lacked Lula’s charisma, and added: “Lula has said he will retire, but I hope he keeps helping her.”

The booming economy helped lift 20 million Brazilians out of poverty during Lula’s eight years in office. Millions more joined the middle class and a cash transfer program that benefits millions of families narrowed disparities in income.

Rousseff was imprisoned for two years in the early 1970s for left-wing guerrilla activities and later became an economist, specializing in energy management. She was named energy secretary for Rio Grande do Sul state, and joined Lula’s administration in 2003 as energy advisor.

She became responsible for the administration of the most important and expensive infrastructure projects in Lula’s administration under a plan through which public and private investments are combined to finance megaprojects.

Although Lula made it clear last year that she was his chosen successor, Rousseff did not start to climb in the polls until the launch of a media campaign that showed the two of them together in virtually every advertisement. In one, Lula said he wanted her as Brazil’s next president so the country could “keep changing.”

Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a bitter adversary of Lula’s, criticized Rousseff as he voted Sunday: “We need real politicians, not puppets.”

Rousseff’s lead in the polls during the last days of the campaign demonstrated “Lula’s enveloping aura,” said Kenneth Maxwell, a former Harvard professor and expert on Brazil.

History professor Americo Guichard Freire of the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro said Rouseff’s campaign was short on specifics of how she would govern, but long on marketing of her closeness to Lula.

“Lula imposed himself on the election and built an alternative — a woman, a technocrat, a manager,” Freire said. “Lula was not a candidate, yet he became the central figure in the election.”

Political analysts said Serra’s strategy of painting Rousseff as a “manufactured” candidate backfired because he seemed to be criticizing Lula. Serra also stressed to voters the many positions to which he was elected over the years — federal deputy, senator, governor of Sao Paulo state and mayor of Sao Paulo city.

Rousseff maintained her lead after Serra accused members of her Workers’ Party of releasing his daughter’s tax returns. But Rousseff’s lead in the polls declined after Erenice Guerra, her successor as Lula’s chief of staff, was forced to resign last month because of alleged influence peddling.

Lula, 64, has given little clue about his plans. After voting in Sao Bernardo do Campo, an industrial suburb of Sao Paulo, Lula said he would take some time off.

“After we’re done with the presidency, I think we must have some quiet in life,” he said.

Soares and Kraul are special correspondents.