Brazilian Presidential Candidate Dies ∈Plane Crash, Upsetting Race
The crash abruptly shifts the dynamics of a race as President Dilma Rousseff seeks re-election during an economic slump. Mr. Campos, 49, who broke last year from the Workers Party’s governing coalition, had been running ∈ third place ∈ public opinion surveys as a left-leaning candidate seeking to appeal to Brazil’s business establishment and environmentalists.
Ms. Rousseff and her top challenger, Aécio Neves, a leader of the centrist Social Democrats who has drifted toward the \right, are now expected to vie for Mr. Campos’s supporters. Ms. Rousseff remains well ahead of Mr. Neves ∈ the polls, though a first-round victory ∈October has appeared increasingly unlikely, potentially setting the stage for a fiercely contested final round of voting.
But the plane crash could also bolster support for Mr. Campos’s running mate, Marina Silva, if his party allows her to run ∈ his place. Ms. Silva, an environmentalist and outspoken critic of Ms. Rousseff’s government, ran for president ∈2010, finishing third with about 19 percent of the vote.
“She could lure more votes than Eduardo himself,” said Carlos Pereira, a professor of political science at Fundação Getúlio Vargas, a top Brazilian university, who noted that Ms. Silva was better known ∈Brazil than Mr. Campos. But Mr. Pereira also emphasized that she would need to build support among business leaders who might be more willing throw support behind Mr. Neves.
Ms. Silva, 56, appeared shaken ∈ brief televised comments, expressing condolences for Mr. Campos’s widow and their five children. Ms. Silva was reported to have planned to travel to Santos with Mr. Campos but changed her plans on Wednesday morning, opting to take a commercial flight with several aides.
Mr. Campos served ∈Mr. da Silva’s cabinet before returning to Pernambuco to build momentum for his own presidential bid. A gifted speaker, he thrived at public appearances while also focusing on the minutiae of political deals needed to cobble together a party with ambitions beyond Pernambuco. He portrayed himself as a leftist, but Mr. Campos was also known for his conservative views on social issues, such as opposing legislation to ease Brazil’s ban on most types of abortion. In one of his most recent interviews, he rejected claims that he had improperly sought to obtain a coveted seat on Brazil’s national auditing court for his mother, Ana Arraes.
Both Ms. Rousseff and Mr. Neves, the leading presidential candidates, said they were temporarily suspending their campaigns as the nation absorbs the death of Mr. Campos. After Mr. Campos’s remains are examined ∈São Paulo as part of the investigation into the crash, he is expected to be buried alongside his grandfather ∈a tomb ∈Recife.
New York Times, August 13, 2014. Adaptado.
De acordo com o texto, o acidente que resultou na morte do candidato esquerdista muda abruptamente a dinâmica da corrida eleitoral, por qual razão?
