| Issue 26 Vol II, October 31, 2006 | Archive |
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Brazil keeps to the left and Nigeria moves closer
Lula, 61,who he turned up to vote in the factory town of Sao Bernardo do Campo, where he began in politics as a union leader opposing a military dictatorship promised to open a dialogue with the opposition. "We are going to sew up all the alliances needed so people can be calm and we can approve all the projects that Brazil needs.” violent crime, education and heath costs were all vital issues. Clearly Brazilians see no future in a heartless market man , wedded to profit and money against a welfare oriented leader. Alckmin, 54, was labeled as a heartless cost-cutter who was bound to slash welfare programs and sell off strategic state enterprises. Yet it is to be seen how far Lula from the conservative economic policies that have made Brazil a favorite on Wall Street in recent years, unlike the widely differing visions that have marked many elections in Latin America this year.
Mr. Ortega who was ousted in a 1990 election after his Sandinista government had fought a civil war against U.S.-backed Contra guerrillas has promised jobs and growth. His campaign colour is pastel pink, his rallies play John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance, and his running mate is Jaime Morales, an ex-Contra. Mr. Ortega, 60, was once compared to Che Guevara but his commitments have undergone change to make him more acceptable across the country that has suffered much at the hands of the neo conservatives. |
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MUCH
to the chagrin of Bush and company in the USA, Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva has won a landslide victory on October 28 election
against his rival Geraldo Alckmin of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy
Party. About 125 million Brazilians cast ballots across the world's
fourth-largest democracy, from hamlets in the Amazon rainforest to the
concrete jungle and tough slums of the big cities. They clearly rejected the
corruption charges and stepped up propaganda. Lula’s pro poor programmes
helped him win this election against Geraldo Alckmin who advocated American
brand free market. Support from the lower classes, who have benefited from
more jobs as well as welfare programs during his four-year term, is the key
to Lula's comeback.
In the
neighbourhood Daniel Oortega was a hair's breadth from regaining power in
Nicaragua and staging one of Latin America's most remarkable political
comebacks. According to new opinion polls, the Sandinista leader is far
ahead of rival candidates and could win in the first round of a presidential
election on November 5. This would cause consternation in Washington. Two
surveys gave the former Marxist revolutionary between 33.8 per cent and 34.4
per cent support, just a whisker short of the 35 per cent he needs to avoid
a run-off. He has been a favoured target for the American business class for
years. This is his third run for President since 1990, and Nicaraguans feel
Mr. Ortega never went away. But in Washington he is still seen as a threat.
U.S. Ambassador Paul Trivelli and senior Bush officials have warned
Nicaraguans of dire consequences if he wins. Could there by any more proof
for American dictates that take different shapes across the world. There are
military attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan and threats and coupes in other
countries besides arm twisting as in India.