Dilma Rousseff’s hopes of being re-elected as the Brazilian president suffered a blow on Sunday when her main rival was endorsed by the popular former environment minister Marina Silva.
Silva, who fell out of the race by coming third in the first round, threw her support behind pro-business candidate Aécio Neves of the Social Democratic party after securing his commitment to follow a policy of environmental sustainability.
Although it is far from certain that all of Silva’s backers will follow her lead, the declaration puts more pressure on Rousseff, who is facing a tougher-than-expected fight in the runoff vote on 26 October.
The Workers party president won the first round with 41.5% of the vote against Neves’s 33.6%, but a capricious electorate appears to be swinging towards the challenger, who is the favourite of the financial markets.
Even before Silva’s announcement of support, the most recent Datafolha poll showed that Neves – who was a distant second just three weeks ago – was backed by 51% of voters, compared with 49% for Rousseff. The gap is within the margin of error so the two are technically tied.
The incumbent has solid backing in the north-east and among lower-income groups, who have benefited from a rising minimum wage, high levels of employment and a widening poverty alleviation programme.
But middle-class voters in major urban centres in the south-east, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, are concerned about the moribund economy and revelations of corruption surrounding the state-run oil company Petrobras.
Neves’s party, which governed Brazil for decades, has also frequently been mired in corruption scandals, but it is campaigning on a promise of change after 12 years of Workers party government.
If elected, Neves says he will lower inflation, reform the tax system, intervene less in the market and slow the rise of the minimum wage.
Silva – who was once a member of the Workers party and served alongside Rousseff in the administration of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – has crossed the political spectrum.
She said her decision to back Neves came after he agreed to key elements of her programme, including sustainable development, more support for full-time education and the creation of a fund for reducing tensions between indigenous groups and farmers.
“In view of the commitments made by Aécio Neves, I declare my vote and my support for his candidacy,” she said.
