Brazil's Presidential Debate Heats Up
On Sunday night, Geraldo Alckmin and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faced off in a presidential debate.
Both candidates brought data on how much public money was being wasted during Lula's management through corruption. While Lula exaggerated in some of his declarations, irony was the main point of Alckmin's responses. For example, during the second part of the debate, Lula said, "I can't fix in four years everything you broke in four centuries." To which Alckmin replied, "My political group, PSDB, hasn't had four centuries." Lula accused Alckmin of refusing an investigation into his governing of the state of Sao Paulo.
In some moments, Lula appeared completely unprepared to discuss questions asked of Alckmin by reading a piece of paper that he would pull from his breast pocket.
The relationship between Lula and the media is known to be troublesome. He never gives interviews that require him to improvise his answers. Prior to the election on Oct. 1, Lula refused to appear in debates. The mainstream media criticized his decision, saying his absence would be more dangerous than his improvised speech.
In Sunday's debate, security, organized crime, roads, foreign politics, public health, education and programs to benefit poor people were the themes. On foreign politics, Lula highlighted changes in Brazil's relationship with countries in Africa and Latin America. Lula also mentioned the gas crisis that Brazil faced when Bolivia nationalized this natural resource. "I didn't run away. I talked to Bolivian President Evo Morales. And I know the difficulties of that people," argued Lula. Brazil had lost all of its public oil company's assets. "There is a weak president," exclaimed Alckmin.
In the fourth part of the debate, journalists asked the questions.
Journalist Franklin Martins remembered the surprise on Lula's face when told important facts about the corruption scandals that have occurred during his government, even the recent episode of the purchase of a dossier with illegal money for PT (Lula's Worker's Party).
"Can the Brazilian people be as uninformed as their president on fundamental questions about the national financial situation," he wondered.
The economist and commentator Joelmir Betting asked about high interest rates. Alckmin replied that they could only be reduced if the federal government stopped spending so much money through corruption. Betting, however, asked exactly "where, when and how" expenses could be cut but Alckmin didn't give a precise reply.
At the end of the debate, each candidate could talk without answering questions for three minutes. Lula was first, by raffle. He remembered his achievements in office and, as usual, used metaphors. Alckmin, in his three minutes, recalled Lula's absence in the earlier debate and stressed that his priority was development, the economy and jobs.
After the debate, Lula regretted that his governmental programs didn't received enough space in the discussion. Alckmin pointed out that Lula's strategy was to run away from subjects on debate.
Both candidates brought data on how much public money was being wasted during Lula's management through corruption. While Lula exaggerated in some of his declarations, irony was the main point of Alckmin's responses. For example, during the second part of the debate, Lula said, "I can't fix in four years everything you broke in four centuries." To which Alckmin replied, "My political group, PSDB, hasn't had four centuries." Lula accused Alckmin of refusing an investigation into his governing of the state of Sao Paulo.
In some moments, Lula appeared completely unprepared to discuss questions asked of Alckmin by reading a piece of paper that he would pull from his breast pocket.
The relationship between Lula and the media is known to be troublesome. He never gives interviews that require him to improvise his answers. Prior to the election on Oct. 1, Lula refused to appear in debates. The mainstream media criticized his decision, saying his absence would be more dangerous than his improvised speech.
In Sunday's debate, security, organized crime, roads, foreign politics, public health, education and programs to benefit poor people were the themes. On foreign politics, Lula highlighted changes in Brazil's relationship with countries in Africa and Latin America. Lula also mentioned the gas crisis that Brazil faced when Bolivia nationalized this natural resource. "I didn't run away. I talked to Bolivian President Evo Morales. And I know the difficulties of that people," argued Lula. Brazil had lost all of its public oil company's assets. "There is a weak president," exclaimed Alckmin.
In the fourth part of the debate, journalists asked the questions.
Journalist Franklin Martins remembered the surprise on Lula's face when told important facts about the corruption scandals that have occurred during his government, even the recent episode of the purchase of a dossier with illegal money for PT (Lula's Worker's Party).
"Can the Brazilian people be as uninformed as their president on fundamental questions about the national financial situation," he wondered.
The economist and commentator Joelmir Betting asked about high interest rates. Alckmin replied that they could only be reduced if the federal government stopped spending so much money through corruption. Betting, however, asked exactly "where, when and how" expenses could be cut but Alckmin didn't give a precise reply.
At the end of the debate, each candidate could talk without answering questions for three minutes. Lula was first, by raffle. He remembered his achievements in office and, as usual, used metaphors. Alckmin, in his three minutes, recalled Lula's absence in the earlier debate and stressed that his priority was development, the economy and jobs.
After the debate, Lula regretted that his governmental programs didn't received enough space in the discussion. Alckmin pointed out that Lula's strategy was to run away from subjects on debate.
posted by Alice at
Monday, October 09, 2006
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