Six-party coalition to endorse Eduardo Campos for president

Voting by acclamation in a festive atmosphere in Brasília on Saturday (June 28), nearly a thousand representatives of six political parties (PSB, Rede Sustentabilidade, PPS, PPL, PRP and PHS) in a coalition called United for Brazil (“Unidos pelo Brasil”) officially announced that they are going to endorse Eduardo Campos, of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), as a presidential candidate. Former Senator Marina Silva was confirmed on Campos's ticket as a vice-president under the Sustainability Network (REDE).

Campos reiterated its criticism of the current political model, which he says is “worn out” and has a “crippling effect on the social energy”. He criticized the alternation of parties that dominate the political scene in recent years without actually coming up with something new. “We object to the easy stance of indolence and conformism. We object to inertia, and we're bringing in our indignation and our dream. We had to change, and commit to changing, alongside Marina in order to stay true to our story. We chose the path of challenge,” he said.

Marina Silva noted that her alliance with Campos has completed nine months, and compared this period to a gestation. “Our child is born. There's nothing like the symbolism of the birth of a child to bring hope and joy. We decided that our alliance was a programmatic one on October 5.”

Silva again advocated changing the current “predatory” economic model to a sustainable development system. “Many people leave it for [us as] environmentalists, who protect green for green's sake and don't worry too much over people. Nothing could be more mistaken. If we are to be sustainable we must be so not only on environmental terms, but also on social, economic, and cultural terms.”

Translated by Mayra Borges