BRASIL: 1ST UPDATE: Jose Serra's Fading Prospect; New Polls Give Dilma 15% Lead.

LINK CHANGE/ BLOOMBERG / 27 OCT/
    The possibility of a Jose Serra presidential victory is seriously dimming according to new polling.
    Support for Rousseff rose to 51.9 percent from 46.8 percent from the previous Sensus poll taken Oct. 18-19.
      Support for Serra declined to 36.7 percent from 41.8 percent. Serra, 68, trails Rousseff by 15.2 percentage points, up from five points in the previous poll. 
    A poll released Monday  by the Vox Populi shows Dilma Rousseff with 49% of the vote and Jose Serra with 38%.
     For a brief period, Serra seemed to be gaining momentum but over the past week lost much of it as the debate once again focused on Brasil's burgeoning economy.
     Most seem happy with policies that have lifted millions into the middle class and have Brasil growing by 7.5% this year.
     "This is back to being a choice between a popular government and a candidate who has been unable to provide reasons for voters to abandon it," said political scientist Alberto Almeida.

BRASIL: Serra Bopped On Head In Rio, Dilma Expanding Lead After Lag.

BBC/     The presidential campaign continues heating-up for the 31 October election.
          Jose Serra, trailing Dilma Rousseff in the latest presidential polls, was hit on the head by a roll of tape while campaigning in the Rio's Campo Grande district and after a medical check, canceled his schedule.
    Serra also stated that:"This is the assault troop of the Workers' Party."
    Dilma's lead over Serra increased to 12 percentage points from 8 percentage points, according to a Vox Populi poll. Her support rose to 51 percent from 48 percent from the previous poll taken Oct.10-11.
     Another poll, from Sensus opinion-research, shows Rousseff with 46.8% of the vote, compared with 41.8% for Serra. A total of 4.1% of respondents said they would cast blank or voided protest votes, and 7.2% were undecided. With those results, Sensus said the poll indicated Rousseff would win the election with 52.8% of the so-called valid vote against Serra's 47.2%.

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: Serra Has Comfortable Lead In Presidential Race Says Pollster.

MERCOPRESS/
A recent Vox Populi poll shows Jose Serra at 39% and a substantial lead over President Lulu cabinet chief Dilma Rousseff with 18% for the October 2010 presidential election. Ciro Gomes of the Socialist Party garners a 17% with Marina Silva trailing at 13%.