Most-voted wannabe presidents thank voters and gear up for runoffs
The two most voted candidates will face off in a second round competition
At the outcome of the first round of the general elections, the two candidates who will face off in a second round competition to decide Brazil's next president are Dilma Rousseff (Workers' Party, PT), who obtained 41.59% of the vote, and Aécio Neves (Brazilian Social Democracy Party, PSDB), who was chosen by 33.55% of Brazilian voters. As the results were released, they thanked their voters for the support and are now focused on the second phase of their campaign. Marina Silva (Brazilian Socialist Party, PSB) came third with 21.32 % of the vote, and is now out of contention.
In an address that included criticism of her opposing ticket, PSDB, for trying to elicit support from Silva's voters, re-election candidate Dilma Rousseff expressed gratitude for the result, hinted at “new ideas” for a potential second term of office, and promised to improve on her first administration. She said she “clearly” understood the message from the polls and the streets and is convinced that “Brazilian people is looking forward to further advances.” Finally, she promised to make the “required changes” to make Brazilian's lives “better and better.”
Also alluding to PSDB, Rousseff stated that Brazilians want to break away from Brazil's “haunted past” of recession, wage squeezes, and unemployment. She thanked all the “anonymous voters who left their homes to go to the polls. I see this as a straightforward message from them – one that I must stay and keep working hard for change.” Finally, she said she “welcomes with arms wide open anyone who chooses to support” her campaign.
Candidate Aécio Neves also gave a statement as the results were announced, saying that he considered himself victorious as the figures exceeded his expectations. With a firmly secured place in the runoffs, he said his campaign and government plans “are no longer those of a party, but of all Brazilians.” He was cautious when asked if he would seek Marina Silva's support for his campaign in the runoffs, but conceded that he would welcome any support.
Neves gave a converging address in which he tried to position himself closer to other parties. “The first round was won by [a desire for] change. Change-seeking bids have combined to make up the majority of votes,” he said. Showing enthusiasm, he urged his supporters to maintain their disposition and pointed out that his campaign efforts would pick up as soon as Monday (Oct 6). “I won't stop even for a minute. We're only halfway through the journey and we will complete it,” he said.
Second runner-up Marina Silva said the first round results attest that Brazilian society wants to take a shift. “The people are showing this through the figures. There are no excuses around the sentiment of voters when 60% of then have taken this step [for change],” she said.
Widely coveted for support in the second round, Silva gave a press conference in São Paulo, saying that the country “has clearly shown its dissatisfaction with the current situation. And as we know, a considerable number of Brazilians have been strongly supporting, since 2010, change founded on strong qualifications,” said the former senator, in a reference to the level of support she received as a candidate in the past general election.
Asked about the possibility of supporting Rousseff or Aécio Neves in the runoffs, Silva said the matter will be discussed by the parties that make up the coalition that supported her candidacy. She went on to point out that, despite failing to secure an appearance in the runoffs, she kept dignified and stayed true to her values. “Right now, I'm speaking here not as someone who has been defeated, but as one who is conscious of having stood up unwavering in one's principles throughout the election bid.”
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Most-voted wannabe presidents thank voters and gear up for runoffs
