Countdown to Brazil’s elections begins

World Today

It’s down to the wire in next month’s presidential election in Brazil. Incumbent Dilma Rousseff is battling her main rival Marina Silva. For the third time, the candidates appeared in a televised debate. As CCTV America’s Paulo Cabral reports from Sao Paulo, they know the slightest misstep could make a huge difference in what’s expected to be a close election.

The third televised debate was organized by Brazil’s Catholic Church. Clergymen and journalists from religious media asked the questions. And while the questioners were different, the main issues were not. As they did in the previous debates, the candidates talked about health, poverty, the economy and political reform.

President Dilma Rousseff stayed on message,focusing on her government’s accomplishments. Her main challenger is socialist candidate Marina Silva. Polls show the two women will likely square off in second round runoff in a race that’s too close to call.

Many television pundits expected moral issues like gay marriage and abortion rights to dominate the debate, especially one organized by the Catholic Church. But there was a draw to determine which candidate would answer each question -so delicate topics were sidestepped. Political scientists say the two sides want to avoid talking about controversial issues because if they have a very strong position on some of these topics they are much more likely to lose votes than to win votes.

The latest polls suggest Rousseff and Silva have an equal chance to win October’s election. And both will becareful not to alienate voters who could put them over the top.