The Guardian 8 November, 2006
Brazil celebrates Lula’s re-election
Pedro Oliveira
SÃO PAOLO: The Brazilian people have rejected a right-wing onslaught and handed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a decisive re-election as President. In one of the most contentious presidential elections in Brazilian history, the right wing and its media system furiously pushed its candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, hoping to regain the power it lost in 2002.
However, the Brazilian people, showing political determination, depth and sophistication, stopped this conservative blitzkrieg and emerged as the biggest winners.
It was a stunning victory. Lula received 61 percent of the vote in the October 29 runoff — 58 million votes, 20 million more than Alckmin. In the first round of voting on October 1, Lula had fallen just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Lula, a former factory worker, heads the left-wing Workers Party. First elected in 2002, his administration has sought economic policies that encourage growth while limiting privatisation of the public sector and other neo-liberal measures.
In fact, the election at its essence was a contest between two different visions for Brazil. One, represented by Alckmin, embraces the neo-liberal program (better-known in the US as "free trade"), which places government firmly on the side of business interests to maximise profit at the expense of the poor, workers, the environment, public regulation and accountability.
Lula represents another vision, fuelled by the majority of the poor, landless peasants, workers, farmers, small business people and students — in short, a left-centre coalition opposed to economic and social policies imposed by free-trade deals like NAFTA and CAFTA and for policies and government programs that alleviate crushing poverty.
More than 60 percent of the voters approved of Lula’s vision and expressed confidence that his second term will take bolder steps to fulfil the social justice economic program of increasing income for the poor.
Voters thoroughly rejected privatisation — the handing over of tax dollars, government-run companies and public agencies to the private sector — a hallmark of neo-liberalism.
The free-trade or neo-liberal outlook represented by Alckmin affects foreign policy as well, and this was also part of the election debate. Alckmin made clear that he prefers a Brazil that is dependent and subservient to the demands of the US. Lula’s campaign reaffirmed his commitment to strengthen Brazil’s sovereignty and the economic and social development of Latin America. Lula’s re-election is thus important beyond Brazil’s borders.
With their votes, the Brazilian people said "stop" to the right-wing coup attempt in the media, which abused the public with its manipulations and lies. The election should be a lesson to the arrogant editors and columnists of the national press who have said they know better than the people do.
The election run-off radicalised and energised the voters. Lula’s re-election means an explicit mandate to accelerate reforms, and his administration carries a strong majority to guarantee that the reform projects succeed.
People’s Weekly World