Brazil's main opposition parties on Saturday endorsed former Sao Paulo state Governor Jose Serra of the centrist PSDB party as their presidential candidate in October general elections, Reuters reported. The PSDB, the right-wing Democratas, and the Popular Socialist Party declared their support for Serra at an event in the capital Brasilia. Serra's main rival for the top job will be Dilma Rousseff of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's ruling, center-left Workers' Party. Serra, 68, had a 9-point lead over Rousseff, according to a Datafolha opinion poll two weeks ago. Neither Serra nor Rousseff are seen as breaking with the mostly market-friendly policies that have ensured economic stability over the past decade: a free-floating currency, inflation control and fiscal discipline. But some investors prefer Serra for the centrist position of his party and his reputation as a competent administrator. -- SPA
