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South Americas coldest presidential election

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South Americas coldest presidential election

Paulo Rabello de Castro, a University of Chicago-trained economist and one of Brazils wittiest thinkers, has called the countrys Oct 1 presidential election a choice between more of the same and the same without more. This is light years away from the strong emotions presidential elections usually incite in developing countries. Mr Rabello de Castros irony is apt, for it is difficult to say which candidate represents more of the same: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for re-election and is the favourite according to the polls; or former governor of Sao Paulo Geraldo Alckmin, of the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party, which governed Brazil for eight years before Mr Lula, with Fernando Henrique Cardoso as president). Indeed, the distinction between Mr Lula and Mr Alckmin is so difficult that in a recent interview, Mr Cardoso himself said that Mr Lulas Workers Party (PT) project is the PSDBs project. He added: Perhaps there is not another one. History does not always produce a new project.

Mr Cardoso is right. Except for barely practical political rhetoric from leaders like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia, there is nothing new on offer in the worlds electoral marketplace that differs very much from what is usually called neo-liberalism or the Washington Consensus. In other words, there is no longer a battle between different projects in any modern country, no left-right confrontation (with their nuances) that might raise voters emotions. Here, Brazil is no different than the United Kingdom, Spain or Uruguay.

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