Marina Silva came third with 19.6 per cent of the votes in yesterday’s election, far more than the 14 per cent that surveys had indicated during the campaign. That is about 20 million votes. Her exceptional results mean that there will be a second round run-off between the other two candidates, President Lula’s anointed successor, center-left Dilma Rouseff (46%), and center-right José Serra (33%). Rouseff was expected to win yesterday with a majority vote, but Marina’s surprising surge created an unexpected plot twist.
In an interview to AFP, Andre Pereira Cesar, a political analyst at CAC, said Marina Silva is now the person who can determine in the presidential election in the second round, depending on whom she will lend her support to.
Marina Silva used to be a member of Lula’s party, PT, and was appointed his environmental minister. But she left the office in 2008 out of frustration with the constant clashes between her conservation vision and Lula’s emphasis on economic development.
Although she is now out of the race, yesterday’s results were a major victory for Ms. Silva, whose campaign was more akin to a movement that relied mostly on social media for publicity. Green issues are now likely to be given more attention by the two remaining candidates battling out for Brazil’s presidency, which will be decided on October 31st.
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