MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula da Silva’s handpicked presidential candidate is “a puppet”

Former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso is leading the opposition campaign

Former Brazilian president Fernando Enrique Cardoso said that the presidential pre-candidate Dilma Roussef is a “puppet” of Brazilian leader Lula da Silva, according to reports in the Sao Paulo press.

Cardoso from the main opposition party, Brazilian Social-democrats, PSDB addressing militants at a political rally described the Workers Party, PT, candidate for October’s presidential election as a dull bureaucrat with no political standing and who is “simply a Lula da Silva puppet”.

The former president anticipated that cabinet chief Dilma will not benefit from Lula da Silva’s popularity who has over 80% approval, according to the latest public opinion polls.

“The fact is the Brazilian president has been forced to take command of Rousseff’s campaign”, insisted Cardoso in a report from Folha de Sao Paulo.

President Lula da Silva has been actively participating in the inauguration of public works next to Rousseff and has promised to continue, thus exposing the pre-candidate to Brazilian public opinion.

“Lula da Silva is acting as a ventriloquist for the shy Roussef”, said Cardoso.
 

The ruling Workers Party and the PSDB are considered the two forces with the best chances of winning next October 3 presidential election in Brazil.

The PSDB candidate, Sao Paulo governor Jose Serra, a workaholic, who lost to Lula da Silva in 2002, is leading in public opinion polls.

However since the Brazilian president took command of the campaign the 20 points difference over Dilma Rousseff has been contracting and Cardoso moved in to the stage.

Last Sunday in an article published in the Sao Paulo media Cardoso called Lula da Silva a “serial liar” of coarse manners and language who has repeatedly shown his “intolerance proclivity”.

“Lula is so obsessed with the presidential campaign and has lowered the discussion level to a pack of lies, he has become a serial liar”, fond of coarse expressions and bouts.
“He is a prisoner of his own euphoria and dysphoria” wrote Cardoso in the article “With no fear about the past”.

Lula da Silva is known to have instructed his ministers to polarize the presidential campaign between the PT and the PSDB, recalling that when Cardoso left office in 2002 he had a very low approval and never had an interest in social policies.
But, “behind these bouts of arrogance we can easily identify the ghost of intolerance” wrote Cardoso in reference to the Lula da Silva style.
“Mr. President you can’t win elections with a rear-view mirror”, he added

PT delegates held a meeting over the weekend to plan the strategy for Dilma Roussseff’s campaign.

On Wednesday, January 10 PT will be celebrating its 30 anniversary and a week later is scheduled to hold its national congress, the party’s main forum, when 1.400 delegates will discuss government programs and later proclaim Dilma Rousseff as the presidential candidate, and hopefully the successor of Lula da Silva in the Planalto Palace.