Brazilian general election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 election were marked by the now extinct "verticalization rule", which forced parties to form coalitions on a state level with the same parties with which they were allied nationwide. This rule was introduced at the 2002 general elections
by the Supreme Electoral Court
.
All Chamber of Deputies
seats were put into contest for the 2006 general election. On the Federal Senate
, 27 seats (one third of the upper house) were contested in 2006. This means one Senator was elected to represent each of the 26 States plus the Federal District.
With its image tainted by the mensalão scandal, the Workers' Party saw a decrease of 3.4% in its voting, compared to the previous general election. For the first time, it lost votes when compared to a previous election. The main opposition parties, Brazilian Social Democratic Party and Liberal Front Party
, also saw a decrease in its voting. All other major parties, with the exception of centre-right Progressive Party
, increased its voting.
, state-level elections in the Republic of Brazil are determined by the Federal Constitution and are held in the same dates and years as the Federal Elections.
, PMDB, PSDB and PT
.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
(PT) ran for reelection
http://www.jurnalo.com/index.php?id=34&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=226&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=26&cHash=6193976ca7, but he did not confirm his candidacy until June 2006. This was regarded as a cautious move in case something major happened on the political spectrum that could harm his candidacy, especially regarding the 2005 political scandal, still under investigation.
At the end of 2005, several names were regarded in the PSDB as potential candidates for the presidential elections, such as former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso
, senator Tasso Jereissati
, Minas Gerais
governor Aécio Neves
, São Paulo (state)
governor Geraldo Alckmin
and São Paulo
mayor José Serra
. By the beginning of 2006, Alckmin and Serra were considered the only two actual potential candidates, and the other three would choose between them (or determine a way by which the choice would be made). Geraldo Alckmin
was the chosen candidate, whereas Serra is running for governor of São Paulo.
The PFL was planning the candidacy of Rio de Janeiro
mayor César Maia
. Another possibility was to appoint the vice-president nominee for PSDB presidential candidate. Maia initially said he would agree with the latter only if the presidential candidate was José Serra, but later accepted the possibility of the party appointing a name to run with Geraldo Alckmin, which was eventually senator José Jorge.
In the PMDB there was division. Some, including party president Michel Temer
, wanted the party to have a candidate of its own for the presidential race, and scheduled primaries within the party, with two prospective candidates: former Rio de Janeiro
governor Anthony Garotinho
and Rio Grande do Sul
governor Germano Rigotto
. Another section of the party, though, wished to ally with president Lula and appoint the vice-president nominee to run with him. This "governist part" of the party was headed by senators Renan Calheiros
and José Sarney
. There was also a third possibility of making an alliance with PSDB. Ironically, the PMDB decided not to take any part whatsoever in the presidential elections and became free to make any coalition in the states.
Aside from these four parties, the smaller ones had no clear course of action. The PSOL
was the first to appoint a candidate, senator Heloisa Helena
.
The three main candidates were later joined by Cristóvam Buarque (PDT), Luciano Bivar (PSL), José Maria Eymael (PSDC) and Rui Costa Pimenta (PCO). Ana Maria Rangel (PRP), who also registered her candidacy, was ruled out after internal disagreements with her own party, but was able to revert the situation and regain her right to participate in the presidential race.
The first debate took part on 14 August, featuring Heloisa Helena, Cristóvam Buarque, Luciano Bivar and José Maria Eymael. Lula refused to participate, whereas Rui Costa Pimenta was not invited.
On 15 August, the official electoral programmes started being aired on television and radio. Every weekday, all candidates have a few prime-time minutes to put forward their ideas and plans. The time allocated to each one is loosely based on the number of Congress representatives each coalition has.
Also on 15 August, the Supreme Electoral Court decided to revoke the registration of the PCO candidate, Rui Costa Pimenta. The court ruling was based on the fact that the party had not presented its accounts for the 2002 general elections within the deadline specified by law. Pimenta, however, managed to retain his candidacy: the matter is pending decision.
Polls varied little in the two months prior to the election, showing Lula with over 50% of the valid votes, followed by Alckmin, Heloisa Helena, and Buarque. Nevertheless, the difference between Lula's figures and the sum of his opponents' shortened on the eve of the election.
On 28 September, the PT candidate refused to appear at a debate hosted by Globo TV
. Explaining his decision in a letter addressed to the TV station, Lula claimed that all his opponents would take the opportunity to team up and attack him. Three days before the election, the last debate was expected to have a large audience.
On 1 October the first round ended with no winner. Lula was the most voted, but his votes were around 1% less of the sum the other candidates', forcing him to a run-off with Alckmin, who placed second.
Since the first debate, Alckmin accused Lula of being lenient with the members of his government who had to resign after being charged in many scandals since 2005. Also he tried to underestimate the achievements the president claimed to obtain during his term, like reducing of poverty and inflation rates, claiming his results were consequence of the favorable international economic scenario and the achievements of his antecessor Fernando Henrique Cardoso
, from Alckmin's party.
Lula however claimed that despite his government is under investigation, both Cardoso and Alckmin halted many investigations on their administrations with dubious methods. According to analysts, Lula dealt damage to Alckmin most when he accused him of threatening the Bolsa Família
program, which attends millions of low-income Brazilian families, and questioning the privatizations done during the Cardoso government claiming that most of them were unnecessary and the state companies in question were sold for sums much lower than their true market value, like the Vale do Rio Doce, sold by R$ 3.3 billion at the time, but now profits this same amount in a quarter of year. Also he claimed that there would be no guarantee that other companies could be sold like state oil giant Petrobras
, the country's largest and most profitable company, in case of Alckmin's victory.
If the formula worked or not, the fact is Lula's poll numbers skyrocketed and in the end, he was elected for a second term as president of Brazil by a 20 million vote margin, while Alckmin got less votes than in the first round.
Brazilian general election, 2002
Lula's Worker's Party won the most seats in the Parliamentary elections, though failed to gain an outright majority as they won only 91 of the 513 seats.-Results:...
by the Supreme Electoral Court
Supreme Electoral Court (Brazil)
The Supreme Electoral Court is the highest body of the Brazilian Electoral Court. There are also Regional Electoral Courts and Electoral Registry offices spread throughout Brazil....
.
All Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms...
seats were put into contest for the 2006 general election. On the Federal Senate
Senate of Brazil
The Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States...
, 27 seats (one third of the upper house) were contested in 2006. This means one Senator was elected to represent each of the 26 States plus the Federal District.
With its image tainted by the mensalão scandal, the Workers' Party saw a decrease of 3.4% in its voting, compared to the previous general election. For the first time, it lost votes when compared to a previous election. The main opposition parties, Brazilian Social Democratic Party and Liberal Front Party
Democrats (Brazil)
The Democrats is a centre-right political party in Brazil, considered the main in the right-wing spectrum. Despite its former name , the party affiliates itself to the Centrist Democrat International, and the International Democrat Union. The name comes from its support to free market policies...
, also saw a decrease in its voting. All other major parties, with the exception of centre-right Progressive Party
Progressive Party (Brazil)
The Progressive party is a centre-right Brazilian political party embracing conservatism and elements of populism and liberalism....
, increased its voting.
State-level elections
As a highly centralized federationFederation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
, state-level elections in the Republic of Brazil are determined by the Federal Constitution and are held in the same dates and years as the Federal Elections.
Gubernatorial
The Governors elected in 2006 were the following:- AcreAcreThe acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
– Binho MarquesBinho MarquesBinho Marques is a Brazilian politician, and the current Governor of Acre. He is a member of the Workers' Party.-References:...
from the Workers' PartyWorkers' Party (Brazil)The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003... - AlagoasAlagoasAlagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...
– Teotônio Vilela Filho from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party - AmapáAmapáAmapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...
– Waldez Góes from the Democratic Labour PartyDemocratic Labour Party (Brazil)The Democratic Labour Party is a populist, democratic socialist political party of Brazil. It was founded in 1979 by left-wing leader Leonel Brizola as an attempt to reorganize the Brazilian leftist forces during the end of the Brazilian military dictatorship...
(re-elected) - Amazonas – Eduardo Braga from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (re-elected)
- BahiaBahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
– Jaques WagnerJaques WagnerJaques Wagner is a Brazilian politician, and the current Governor of Bahia. He was a founding member of the Workers' Party , as well as the Central Única dos Trabalhadores , a union which has organized more than 7 million members. He is candidate for reelection in the 2010 Brazilian...
from the Workers' Party - CearáCearáCeará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
– Cid GomesCid GomesCid Gomes is the Governor of the Brazilian state of Ceará.-References:...
from the Brazilian Socialist Party - Espírito SantoEspírito SantoEspírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
– Paulo Hartung from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (re-elected) - Federal DistrictBrazilian Federal DistrictThe Federal District is set apart for Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Located in a region called Planalto Central, or Central Plateau, the Federal District is divided in 29 administrative regions. Brasilia - place where the three branches of the Federal Government are located - is the main...
– José Roberto Arruda from the Liberal Front PartyDemocrats (Brazil)The Democrats is a centre-right political party in Brazil, considered the main in the right-wing spectrum. Despite its former name , the party affiliates itself to the Centrist Democrat International, and the International Democrat Union. The name comes from its support to free market policies... - GoiásGoiásGoiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
– Alcides Rodrigues from the Progressive PartyProgressive Party (Brazil)The Progressive party is a centre-right Brazilian political party embracing conservatism and elements of populism and liberalism.... - MaranhãoMaranhãoMaranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
– Jackson LagoJackson LagoJackson Kléper Lago was a Brazilian physician and politician. He served as governor of Maranhão from January 1, 2007 to April 16, 2009, when the Brazilian Supreme Electoral Court repealed his term...
from the Democratic Labour Party - Mato GrossoMato GrossoMato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
– Blairo MaggiBlairo MaggiBlairo Maggi is a soy plantation farmer and former governor of the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil.Maggi also owns the André Maggi Group, a large company that harvests, processes, and exports soybeans...
from the Socialist People's PartySocialist People's Party (Brazil)The Socialist People's Party is a political party in Brazil.It was founded in 1992, after the Brazilian Communist Party decided to rename itself the Socialist People's Party as part of a political realignment following the collapse of the Soviet Union.The PPS was a part of the coalition government...
(re-elected) - Mato Grosso do SulMato Grosso do SulMato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...
– André PuccinelliAndré Puccinelli-References:...
from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party - Minas GeraisMinas GeraisMinas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
– Aécio NevesAécio NevesAécio Neves da Cunha is a Brazilian economist and politician; he was the Governor of Minas Gerais from 2003 to 2010 and is currently a member of the Brazilian Federal Senate. Born in Belo Horizonte, on March 10, 1960, he is the youngest governor in the state's history...
from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (re-elected) - ParáParáPará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
– Ana Júlia CarepaAna Julia CarepaAna Julia Carepa is a Brazilian politician, and was the Governor of the Brazilian state of Pará. She is Pará's first female governor, and is a member of the Workers' Party.- References :...
from the Workers' Party - ParaíbaParaíbaParaíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
– Cássio Cunha Lima from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (re-elected) - ParanáParaná (state)Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
– Roberto Requião from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (re-elected) - PernambucoPernambucoPernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
– Eduardo Campos from the Brazilian Socialist Party - PiauíPiauíPiauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
– Wellington DiasWellington DiasJosé Wellington Barroso de Araújo Dias, known as Wellington Dias, is a Brazilian politician, and the current Governor of Piauí. He is a member of the Workers' Party.-References:...
from the Workers' Party (re-elected) - Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
– Sérgio Cabral FilhoSérgio Cabral FilhoSérgio de Oliveira Cabral Santos Filho , is a Brazilian politician and journalist.In the 2006 Brazilian general elections, he was elected governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro; he was sworn into office on January 1, 2007....
from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party - Rio Grande do NorteRio Grande do NorteRio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
– Wilma de FariaWilma de FariaWilma de Faria is the governor of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte. She is the first woman to hold the position. She is a member of the Brazilian Socialist Party.- References :...
from the Brazilian Socialist Party (re-elected) - Rio Grande do SulRio Grande do SulRio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
– Yeda CrusiusYeda CrusiusYeda Rorato Crusius is an economist and former governor of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul until December 31, 2011. She was the first female governor of the state.-Background and political associations:...
from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party - RondôniaRondôniaRondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon...
– Ivo Cassol from the Socialist People's Party (re-elected) - RoraimaRoraimaRoraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is 400,000 and the capital is Boa Vista...
– Ottomar PintoOttomar PintoOttomar de Sousa Pinto was a Brazilian politician, who was Governor of the state of Roraima from November 2004 until his death in December 2007. He was a member of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party....
from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (re-elected) - Santa CatarinaSanta Catarina (state)Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
– Luiz Henrique da Silveira from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (re-elected) - São PauloSão Paulo (state)São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
– José SerraJosé SerraJosé Serra is a Brazilian politician, former secretary of state, congressman, senator, minister of Planning and Minister of Health, mayor of São Paulo and Governor of São Paulo state.-Background:...
from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party - SergipeSergipeSergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
– Marcelo DédaMarcelo DédaMarcelo Déda Chagas is a Brazilian politician. He was mayor of Aracaju from 2000 to 2006, and is the current Governor of Sergipe.His political militancy had beginning in the Movement Secundarista...
from the Workers' Party - TocantinsTocantins (state)Tocantins is one of the states of Brazil. . The state was formed in 1988 out of the northern part of Goiás, and construction began on the capital, Palmas, in 1989, in contrast to most of the other cities in the state which date back to the Portuguese colonial period...
– Marcelo MirandaMarcelo MirandaMarcelo Miranda is an ex-governor of the Brazilian state of Tocantins. He is a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party.-References:...
from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party
Campaign (National Elections)
Starting from the end of 2005, the most discussed issues about the 2006 national elections involved the country's four biggest parties: PFLDemocrats (Brazil)
The Democrats is a centre-right political party in Brazil, considered the main in the right-wing spectrum. Despite its former name , the party affiliates itself to the Centrist Democrat International, and the International Democrat Union. The name comes from its support to free market policies...
, PMDB, PSDB and PT
Workers' Party (Brazil)
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...
.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
(PT) ran for reelection
http://www.jurnalo.com/index.php?id=34&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=226&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=26&cHash=6193976ca7, but he did not confirm his candidacy until June 2006. This was regarded as a cautious move in case something major happened on the political spectrum that could harm his candidacy, especially regarding the 2005 political scandal, still under investigation.
At the end of 2005, several names were regarded in the PSDB as potential candidates for the presidential elections, such as former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
, senator Tasso Jereissati
Tasso Jereissati
Tasso Ribeiro Jereissati is federal senator of Brazil. He is a former governor of Ceará from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1995 to 2002.-Biography:...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
governor Aécio Neves
Aécio Neves
Aécio Neves da Cunha is a Brazilian economist and politician; he was the Governor of Minas Gerais from 2003 to 2010 and is currently a member of the Brazilian Federal Senate. Born in Belo Horizonte, on March 10, 1960, he is the youngest governor in the state's history...
, São Paulo (state)
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
governor Geraldo Alckmin
Geraldo Alckmin
Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho , known as Geraldo Alckmin is a Brazilian politician, who has been elected as the new governor of São Paulo, doing it for the second time, and former candidate for president of Brazil in the 2006 Elections...
and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
mayor José Serra
José Serra
José Serra is a Brazilian politician, former secretary of state, congressman, senator, minister of Planning and Minister of Health, mayor of São Paulo and Governor of São Paulo state.-Background:...
. By the beginning of 2006, Alckmin and Serra were considered the only two actual potential candidates, and the other three would choose between them (or determine a way by which the choice would be made). Geraldo Alckmin
Geraldo Alckmin
Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho , known as Geraldo Alckmin is a Brazilian politician, who has been elected as the new governor of São Paulo, doing it for the second time, and former candidate for president of Brazil in the 2006 Elections...
was the chosen candidate, whereas Serra is running for governor of São Paulo.
The PFL was planning the candidacy of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
mayor César Maia
Cesar Maia
César Epitácio Maia is a Brazilian politician, notable for having been elected three times for mayor of Rio de Janeiro.A native of Rio, born in 1945, Maia was forced to leave Brazil in exile during the 1960s on account of his affiliation with the Brazilian Communist Party...
. Another possibility was to appoint the vice-president nominee for PSDB presidential candidate. Maia initially said he would agree with the latter only if the presidential candidate was José Serra, but later accepted the possibility of the party appointing a name to run with Geraldo Alckmin, which was eventually senator José Jorge.
In the PMDB there was division. Some, including party president Michel Temer
Michel Temer
Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia , better known as Michel Temer, is a Brazilian lawyer and politician, and currently the Vice-President of Brazil after winning on the ticket of Workers' Party candidate Dilma Rousseff...
, wanted the party to have a candidate of its own for the presidential race, and scheduled primaries within the party, with two prospective candidates: former Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
governor Anthony Garotinho
Anthony Garotinho
Anthony William "Garotinho" Matheus de Oliveira is a Brazilian politician. He started as a radio presenter and changed his name legally to Garotinho - which means "Little Boy" - after it brought him success in his early career as a football commentator...
and Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
governor Germano Rigotto
Germano Rigotto
Germano Rigotto is a Brazilian politician currently affiliated to the PMDB party. He was the governor of Rio Grande do Sul state until December 31, 2006. He ran for a second term in October 2006 elections, but he was unexpectedly defeated by Olívio Dutra and Yeda Crusius...
. Another section of the party, though, wished to ally with president Lula and appoint the vice-president nominee to run with him. This "governist part" of the party was headed by senators Renan Calheiros
Renan Calheiros
Renan Calheiros is a Brazilian politician and former President of the Senate of Brazil. He represents the state of Alagoas in the senate for the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party....
and José Sarney
José Sarney
José Sarney de Araújo Costa is a Brazilian lawyer, writer and politician. He served as president of Brazil from 15 March 1985 to 15 March 1990....
. There was also a third possibility of making an alliance with PSDB. Ironically, the PMDB decided not to take any part whatsoever in the presidential elections and became free to make any coalition in the states.
Aside from these four parties, the smaller ones had no clear course of action. The PSOL
Socialism and Freedom Party
The Socialism and Freedom Party is a Brazilian political party . Among the party leaders are Heloísa Helena , federal deputies Luciana Genro and Babá , and a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Milton Temer, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes,...
was the first to appoint a candidate, senator Heloisa Helena
Heloísa Helena (politician)
Heloísa Helena Lima de Moraes Carvalho is a left-wing politician in Brazil.-Career:A trained nurse, Helena helped founding the Center of Health at the Federal University of Alagoas. She was also involved in the student movements against the military dictatorship...
.
The three main candidates were later joined by Cristóvam Buarque (PDT), Luciano Bivar (PSL), José Maria Eymael (PSDC) and Rui Costa Pimenta (PCO). Ana Maria Rangel (PRP), who also registered her candidacy, was ruled out after internal disagreements with her own party, but was able to revert the situation and regain her right to participate in the presidential race.
The first debate took part on 14 August, featuring Heloisa Helena, Cristóvam Buarque, Luciano Bivar and José Maria Eymael. Lula refused to participate, whereas Rui Costa Pimenta was not invited.
On 15 August, the official electoral programmes started being aired on television and radio. Every weekday, all candidates have a few prime-time minutes to put forward their ideas and plans. The time allocated to each one is loosely based on the number of Congress representatives each coalition has.
Also on 15 August, the Supreme Electoral Court decided to revoke the registration of the PCO candidate, Rui Costa Pimenta. The court ruling was based on the fact that the party had not presented its accounts for the 2002 general elections within the deadline specified by law. Pimenta, however, managed to retain his candidacy: the matter is pending decision.
Polls varied little in the two months prior to the election, showing Lula with over 50% of the valid votes, followed by Alckmin, Heloisa Helena, and Buarque. Nevertheless, the difference between Lula's figures and the sum of his opponents' shortened on the eve of the election.
On 28 September, the PT candidate refused to appear at a debate hosted by Globo TV
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
. Explaining his decision in a letter addressed to the TV station, Lula claimed that all his opponents would take the opportunity to team up and attack him. Three days before the election, the last debate was expected to have a large audience.
On 1 October the first round ended with no winner. Lula was the most voted, but his votes were around 1% less of the sum the other candidates', forcing him to a run-off with Alckmin, who placed second.
Run-Off
Despite being absent of the first-round debates, Lula faced Alckmin in four debates in the second round, each one of them aired by one of the four most important television channels in Brazil - Band, SBT, Record and two days before the election, on Globo TV.Since the first debate, Alckmin accused Lula of being lenient with the members of his government who had to resign after being charged in many scandals since 2005. Also he tried to underestimate the achievements the president claimed to obtain during his term, like reducing of poverty and inflation rates, claiming his results were consequence of the favorable international economic scenario and the achievements of his antecessor Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
, from Alckmin's party.
Lula however claimed that despite his government is under investigation, both Cardoso and Alckmin halted many investigations on their administrations with dubious methods. According to analysts, Lula dealt damage to Alckmin most when he accused him of threatening the Bolsa Família
Bolsa Família
Bolsa Família is a social welfare program of the Brazilian government, part of the Fome Zero network of federal assistance programs. Bolsa Família provides financial aid to poor Brazilian families; if they have children, families must ensure that the infants attend school and are vaccinated...
program, which attends millions of low-income Brazilian families, and questioning the privatizations done during the Cardoso government claiming that most of them were unnecessary and the state companies in question were sold for sums much lower than their true market value, like the Vale do Rio Doce, sold by R$ 3.3 billion at the time, but now profits this same amount in a quarter of year. Also he claimed that there would be no guarantee that other companies could be sold like state oil giant Petrobras
Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
, the country's largest and most profitable company, in case of Alckmin's victory.
If the formula worked or not, the fact is Lula's poll numbers skyrocketed and in the end, he was elected for a second term as president of Brazil by a 20 million vote margin, while Alckmin got less votes than in the first round.