Exclusive-Brazil’s Lula Weighs VP Alckmin as Next Finance Minister to Woo Centrist Voters
The move could help Lula reassure investors as Brazil’s debt rises above 82.9% of GDP, sources said.
- On Sunday, October 4, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva finished second in the first-round presidential election behind Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
- Markets rallied on Monday as investors favored Bolsonaro's platform for fiscal consolidation. Since Lula took office, Brazil's gross public debt has risen by more than 10 percentage points of GDP to 82.9%.
- To bolster fiscal credibility, Lula is considering tapping Vice President Geraldo Alckmin as his next finance minister if re-elected. Sources say this targets centrist voters disillusioned by government policies.
- Alckmin, a veteran centrist and former Sao Paulo governor, is viewed as a moderating force in Lula's government. Lula defended his record Sunday, declaring, "No one in this country has the moral authority to lecture me or Alckmin on fiscal policy."
- Under the proposal, Alckmin would retain his vice presidency while assuming the finance portfolio next year, cementing his authority over economic policy. This strategy aims to secure centrist support for the runoff against Bolsonaro.
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18 Articles
Brazil's Lula weighs VP Alckmin as next finance minister to woo centrist voters
BRASILIA, Oct 5 - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is considering tapping Vice President Geraldo Alckmin to be his next finance minister if re-elected, two people familiar with the proposal said, in a bid to bolster his fiscal credibility and win over centrist voters after Senator Flavio Bolsonaro beat expectations in the first-round vote. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Measure is attempt to gain market confidence and attract center voters after losing 1st turn
Lula's current vice president was for years one of his main political rivals; Flavio Bolsonaro's candidate built his career in the Public Prosecutor's Office and focused on security before approaching Bolsonaro.
Plan under discussion previews that the current vice president accumulates the command of the economy from next year; objective is to regain the confidence of moderate voters after the result of the first round The post Lula evaluates Alckmin as minister of the Farm to wave to the center voter and try to reverse the result in the second round apareceu primeiro em ND More
Alckmin's choice would aim to signal stability to economic agents.
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- 40% of the sources are Center, 40% of the sources lean Right
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