Word: alckmin
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...Unseating a storied incumbent with a record approval rating and the loyalty of 45 million poor people who benefit from his wide-ranging assistance programs was always a tall order for Geraldo Alckmin, the candidate of the centrist Brazilian Social Democratic Party. Alckmin benefited when members of Lula's Workers' Party (PT) were caught trying to buy documents to smear electoral rivals. The scandal helped Alckmin eat into Lula's lead and deny him the 50%-plus-one margin needed to claim outright victory in the first round of voting, which gave Alckmin 41.6% to Lula's 48.6%. But that...
...Alckmin's problems were twofold: First, Lula convincingly portrayed the former physician as the candidate of the rich, and Alckmin could not shake off the image in the minds of many voters of a button-down bogeyman out to privatize state assets and roll back the generous benefits programs that help many of Brazil's poor survive. Alckmin performed so well in the debates that Lula called their first confrontation the worst night of his political life. But in a country where informality reigns, Alckmin's starched collars and finely cut suits did not ingratiate him with the poor northeasterners...
...disappointed at his failure to win in the first round, but analysts said the four weeks of additional campaigning may have a positive side for both the candidate and his country. Lula is bit more bloodied and a lot more humbled after four weeks of verbal sparring. Alckmin's attacks have forced him to recognize the importance of being seen to fight corruption, and he may show less tolerance in his second term for miscreants inside his party. Still, the president will take comfort from the electorate's endorsement of his agenda. If the polls are accurate, he can expect...
...regional divide in the country presents Lula with another problem. Alckmin won the more prosperous states in the south and center of the country and Lula the poorer ones in the north and northeast. The better-educated and wealthier voters care more about ethics, and Alckmin knows this: It was only after he concentrated his attacks on widespread corruption inside the PT that his numbers rose. "I think Alckmin's strategy will be to continue on about the ethical questions and the scandals of the PT that are Lula's weak point," said Geraldo Monteiro, president of the Brazilian Institute...
...Lula's first task will be to come down from his ivory tower and engage voters again, and in the process, halt Alckmin's momentum. He has already started to, calling only the second press conference of his presidency to try and connect with voters in the folksy way only he can. If that doesn't work, you can bet that the race for the presidency will really get dirty - and a lot more interesting...