Following the death of former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, the Union of South American Nations, Unasur must find a new consensus leader and the outstanding figure and possible candidate is Brazilian president Lula da Silva recognized as a great promoter of regional integration.
Brazil’s presidential opposition candidate Jose Serra promised substantial changes to the country’s foreign policy if elected next Sunday. He specifically mentioned Brazil’s lobbying for a seat at the UN Security Council, the functioning of Mercosur and relations with Cuba and Iran.
Brazilian political analysts are trying to explain way Sunday’s electoral party went sour for Dilma Rousseff and her mentor Lula da Silva, the most popular president of the country in the last six decades.
Brazil’s Green party considers that their presidential candidate Marina Silva and her demands in support of an environmental policy will be decisive in the run off between the ruling Workers Party Dilma Rousseff and runner up Jose Serra from the Social Democracy of Brazil (PSDB).
Opinion polls indicate that the candidate from the ruling Workers Party Dilma Rousseff, hand picked by Lula da Silva, will win Brazil’s presidency next Sunday. A run off is scheduled for a month later if no candidate gets 50% of the ballot, but in any of the two options Ms Rousseff is forecasted to take office next January first .
Brazilian president Lula da Silva again attached the media on Tuesday claiming that freedom of expression does not imply “inventing stories and news”. He added that the media instead of helping public opinion preach “hatred” and are only interested in “failures of his government”.
Caetano Veloso, one of Brazil’s most exquisite poet-singers has called President Lula da Silva a “coup monger” and the opposition presidential candidate Jose Serra, a “moron” and an “idiot”.
Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos said the best way Brazil can help to find a solution to the internal conflict of Colombia is by declaring the FARC guerrilla a “terrorist group”.
While the Brazilian ruling coalition presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff consolidates her lead in opinion polls and is almost certain to win in the first round October 3, her main rival Jose Serra’s campaign seems to have fallen in disarray.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva signed Thursday the contracts for the Norte Energia consortium to start construction of a controversial hydroelectric dam in the Amazon basin.