BRASIL / PERU: Copying Lula...Is The Rage Among Leftists; Humala Joins The Pack.

REUTERS /  S. Grudgings, T. Wade / Analysis

In South America, several leaders have modeled themselves after Brasil's popular ex-President Lula...from Jose "Pepe" Mujica, a former guerrilla elected president of Uruguay in 2009...to Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo in his 2008 election.

The Lula model..."Lulismo"...is a way for left-wing candidates to lessen voters' worries of radicalism.

"Brasil is the lodestar, the reference for a lot of governments as an example of success," said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.

That's why Ollanta Humala flew to meet former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva just days after winning Peru's presidency...to get some of the Lula mojo.

BRASIL: Dissecting Lula's Iran Nuclear Diplomacy.

LATIMES/ OPINION/   Andrew Downie/         "Brazil feels like it doesn't get the respect it deserves, even as one of the world's most prominent emerging countries. And under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose second and final term ends this year, it has gone all out to garner attention as a serious nation." And..."Lula has resented the power wielded by Europe and the United States and that distaste has only grown with an economic crisis he believes has its roots in unfettered capitalism." Plus...""For Lula, the Iran thing isn't important as such," said Oliver Stuenkel, a visiting professor of international affairs at the University of Sao Paulo. "He's making a broader argument that current structures of global governance are unjust, and that emerging powers should have a greater say."

BRASIL: Profile of President Lula Da Silva And His Winning Economic Plan.

FT ONLINE.UK/Long profile/
"We were one of the last countries to go into the global crisis and we have been one of the first to come out," says the 64-year-old former lathe operator who was first elected president in 2002.
For his last year in office, he is confident Brazil's economy will grow by a more than healthy 5 per cent. "Not long ago I used to dream of accumulating $100bn in foreign reserves," he says. "Soon we will have $300bn (€202bn, £180bn)."

Handicapping Brasil's Presidential Race.

FOREIGN POLICY/
"Lula, a former labor negotiator, has given Brazil a new self-confidence at home and abroad, and his government's approval ratings have climbed above 80 percent.
So it's a little curious that polls also show Lula's chief of staff and preferred successor, Dilma Rousseff, trailing far behind Sao Paolo state governor Jose Serra in the race to replace him next October. According to latest figures from Ibope, a respected Brazilian polling firm, 34 percent of respondents say they plan to vote for Serra. Just 15 percent pledge to vote for Dilma, who has recently struggled through a spate of bad publicity and a serious cancer scare. She's never run for office, lacks Lula's charisma, and must hold together a fragmented coalition.
Don't bet against her, though. First, elections are a year away."

Brasil's Lula Won Olympics Bid, Now Must Win Against Rio's Crime.

BLOOMBERG/
"Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who as a boy sold peanuts on the street, beat the world’s two richest nations for the 2016 Olympic Games. Now, he must defeat Rio de Janeiro’s violent crime, which residents call the biggest cloud over their city’s postcard-perfect bid.
Lula will also have to push Rio, the sea-side city of Carnival and the 2007 Pan American games, to improve its transit system, renovate its crumbling airport and double its hotel space before it can host its largest international event ever.
“The security problem is very serious,” said Carlos Langoni, a former central bank president and finance chief of the organizing committee for the World Cup 2014, which Brazil will host. “The city’s transportation infrastructure also needs major work but the government is committed and will tackle these issues.”
Rio is one of the most violent cities in the world, according to a ranking by Web site RealClearWorld. Home to about 7 million people, it recorded 2,069 murders last year compared with 510 in Chicago, a city of 2.8 million and a finalist contender for the games. The police commit one in five of the murders, according to the United Nations high commissioner for Human Rights."

Doctors Say Lula's Candidate... Rousseff... Is Free Of Cancer.

LAHT/
The woman Lula da Silva wants to succeed him as president of Brasil is cured of lymphatic cancer, say her doctors.
“After exhaustive examinations it was determined that her treatment achieved the expected result and that Minister Dilma Rousseff is free of any sign of lymphoma."

The Splintering Of Brasil's Workers Party.

THE ECONOMIST.

"The latest troubles stem mainly from Lula using his power to swing the party behind José Sarney, the Senate president and the kind of old-fashioned political boss whom many in the PT went into politics to get rid of."

Lula And Calderon Propose Sharing Technologies.

MERCOPRESS.

"I am convinced the sharing of technology between Petrobras and Pemex, and their opportunity to work together, with political will, with this natural aptitude," said Lula. "They are two oil giants that if they work as individuals will be much smaller than if they work together," he said.

Time For Lula To Oppose Autocrats.

THE ECONOMIST.

Was Tax Official Pressured To Stop Sarney Audit?

WSJOURNAL.

A former chief Brasilian tax official said she was pressured to stop an audit of Senator Jose Sarney's family businesses.

Sarney is head of the Senate and a close associate and political ally of President Lula da Silva.

Brasil's Lula Wants A Meet With Obama Over Colombian Bases.

Colombiareports.

Colombia's Uribe Tours Latin America Discussing US Base Use.

NYTimes.

In Brasil, Calls For Sarney's Resignation Grow.

From Bloomberg.

Bloomberg reports that Petrobras has the most to lose from the senate crisis. Sarney is a key ally to President Lula.
The cost of his clinging to power said one politician is "paralysis of the legislative agenda. The problem is it’s not clear that his replacement can easily repair the damage.”

José Sarney is a former president who supported the military dictatorship and led the nation during its transition to civilian democracy. He is an important ally for Lula da Silva, who has plans for difficult legislation about the oil industry.

Brasil's Lula Rejects Third Term Run...Again.

From Brazzil.com

Brasil's Lula Increases Poverty Stipend by 9.7%.

From Bloomberg.

The monthly amount will be 68 reais or about $36.40...for 11.4 million families.

Brasil's Elites Still Don't Like President Lula.

From GlobalPost.com

Despite a 69% approval rating in polls and a relatively robust economy in a world racked by economic crisis, better educated and higher income Brasilians don't like Lula da Silva and what he's accomplished.
Seth Kugel explains.