Weekly Report - 25 October 2012 (WR-12-42)

“For the love of God stop mentioning people who are not participating in this election.” This curt request was made by Fernando Haddad, the candidate for mayor of São Paulo for the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) to his rival José Serra, of the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) ahead of the second round of elections on 28 October. Haddad was referring to Serra’s constant efforts during a televised debate to bring up the PT’s disgraced former minister of the presidency José Dirceu who, if the first sentence delivered this week by the supreme federal tribunal (STF) in relation to the PT-orchestrated mensalão corruption scheme is anything to go by, could face a long time behind bars. The frustration for Serra is that voters show no urge to punish the PT at the polls. Quite the reverse. Haddad is poised to cruise home.

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