BRASIL: At Least 2 Times, Lula Nixed Early Warning Radar Storm System.

WSJ/ Paulo Prada/

    In Brasil's worst natural disaster since 1900 with at least 806 dead and more than 300 still missing in Rio state, it's revealed that at least twice, former President Lula da Silva's administration rejected requests for an early warning storm project.
    Critics say the project could have saved many lives. "This is an example of a government realizing too late that it hasn't done what it could have," said former presidential candidate Marina Silva.

   Just last year, Brasil spent  more than 2 billion reais ($1.2 billion usd) on relief and reconstruction from floods and other emergencies.
    The proposed early warning system would have cost 115 million reais but was rejected. Later the proposal was cut to 36 million reais but that figure was also rejected.

BRASIL: The Green Party's Silva Won't Endorse Anyone.

BBC/
      Marina Silva, the Green Party candidate who finished third in the first round of the presidential election with 19%, will remain neutral for the second round vote on 31 October.
     She believes that neutrality will give her party more influence in national debates.

BRASIL:Evangelicals Especially Sought After By Run-off Presidential Candidates.

WSJ/ By PAULO PRADA/
  For the second day, the WSJ is pushing the notion that evangelical sects are responsible for spoiling leading candidate Dilma Rousseff's first round victory.
   Prada contends that many religious voters withdrew their support for Rousseff after an internet campaign convinced them that she favored legalized abortion. The Green Party candidate Marina Silva, a born-again Christian, did have a surprisingly strong showing, coming in third with 19%.
  Prado believes it is the first time that the fast-growing evangelical community has become the focus of a national election. Others say that Silva's environmental positions had more to do with her increased support than her stance on abortion.

BRASIL: Fringe Candidate Marina Silva Now Takes Center Stage; Rousseff And Serra Court Her Supporters.

WSJ/ Excellent ANALYSIS and PROFILE of Marina Silva /
 BY JOHN LYONS and PAULO PRADO/
     Green Party candidate Marina Silva (Pictured) posted a surprizingly strong third place showing in the presidential vote winning 19% of the vote and effectively blocking Dilma Rousseff's expected first round victory.
    Now Rousseff and her strongest challenger Serra must court Silva's supporters.

BRASIL:1ST UPDATE: Protests Planned Against Broadcast Political Anti-Joking Law; Rousseff Increases Lead To 16 Points In Polls.

AP/ BRADLEY BROOKS/1ST UPDATE/ 18 Aug/       Comedians and satirists are planning protests against an old law that forbids them from making fun of candidates three months ahead of the nation's 3 Oct. election and possible 31 Oct. runoff. The anti-joking law is a relic of Brasil's dictatorship. "Do you know of any other democracy in the world with rules like this?" said Marcelo Tas, the host of a weekly TV comedy show. "If you want to find a bigger joke, you would have to look to Monty Python."  Making fun of candidates on air is punishable by fines up to $112,000 and suspension of a broadcast license. The Internet is not licensed by the government and therefore not covered under the law. Print journalists are exempt.
   Results from a recent Vox Populi  poll show former President Lula cabinet chief, Dilma Rousseff, increasing her lead by 16 points... to 45% from 41%.  Jose Serra's popularity fell to 29% from 33% with only 8% support for Green Party candidate Marina Silva.
For MORE poll Details, SEE:      
 http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=a6cJxv5M3tqw

BRASIL: Green Party's Silva Now Promises Tax Cuts, Pension Reform.

REUTERS/     Perhaps hoping to catch more electoral traction like Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus in Colombia,  Green Party candidate Marina Silva is proposing cutting taxes and social security benefits, thus giving a market-friendly makeover to her platform of clean government and environment. Silva is currently in third place in opinion polls with only 12%, badly trailing President Lula's heir Dilma Rousseff and former S. Paulo governor Jose Serra, who are tied at 37%.

BRASIL: Caetano Veloso Calls Lula "Coarse" And "Illiterate", Supporting Silva.

MERCOPRESS/
Brasilian singer Caetano Veloso threw his support to Green party presidential candidate Marina Silva, calling President Lula da Silva “illiterate” and a “coarse speaker”.

Profile: Marina Silva Shakes-up Brasil's Politics.

NYTIMES.COM.
Last week Marina Silva shook up Brasilian politics by exiting Lula's Workers Party to join the Green Party, likely to be its candidate in next year’s presidential election.
The woman who overcame extreme poverty and illness to become a political success could be a surprize replacement for Lula, also of humble origins.

Is Former Environment Minister Silva Preparing For Presidential Run?

MERCOPRESS.

Brasil’s former environment minister, Senator Marina Silva is talking to the Green Party, perhaps preparing the way for a presidential run in the October 2010 election. Silva wants the environment and the Amazon on the election agenda.