Hackers have been at work, changing sections of the City Hall website in São Paulo. You just hope they have managed to improve it…
Not content with just asking the public not to go away on the extended holiday so they can vote José Serra (PSDB) is busy making himself even less popular. He devoted his TV spot on Monday to the same theme.
Now all Marta Suplicy (PT) has to do is run an ad with footage of beaches and people having fun presumably…
Perhaps now that Duda Mendonca has returned to her campaign team yesterday after his brush with a cockfight last week, maybe he’ll run something similar?
Marta made one observation yesterday: that Serra wouldn’t be in the position he’s in (i.e. ahead of her in the election race) if he wasn’t supported by his party colleague and São Paulo state governor, Geraldo Alckmin.
The public thinks Alckmin is doing a good job ”“ which means he’s probably got a better chance of being a presidential candidate in two years’ time than Serra himself.
Yesterday, Marta was at an event which drew 1000 artists and intellectuals together with the culture minister and musician, Gilberto Gil.
Now that I think about it, chances are that Duda will make use of that footage, won’t he?
The detail of President Lula’s fine continues. The electoral authorities have allowed an appeal made by his contacts against the 50,000 reais (US$ 17,000) fine for supporting Marta at a public event to proceed. What chances this all goes away quietly after this weekend?
At the moment it looks like there won’t be a debate on TV Record this week. Representatives from the Serra and Marta campaigns haven’t been able to reach an agreement as to what date to hold the event. And with time fast running out, I would be tempted to ask: is there any point?
But even if the candidates can’t agree, at least two other politicians managed it. PSDB councillor José Anibal and PT congressman Eduardo Cardozo appeared on Rede TV’s Show Business program.
Both agreed there was polarization between their two parties, but there was also vested interest at work by touting their parties as leading two main blocs in Brazilian politics.
For more information and analysis of the São Paulo and other local Brazilian results, visit the election blog being run by Guy Burton and Andrew Stevens at www.saopaulo2004.blogspot.com.