Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Brazil opposition parties endorse Serra candidacy
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 10 - 04 - 2010

Brazil's leading opposition candidate Jose Serra on Saturday launched his bid for the presidency in October elections, proposing more efficiency, new trade deals and improved public transportation and security, according to Reuters.
Serra, of the centrist PSDB party, also criticized high taxes in Latin America's largest economy and accused the current administration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of turning a blind eye on human rights abuses abroad.
The PSDB, the right-wing Democratas, and the Popular Socialist Party declared their support for the veteran politician at an event in the capital Brasilia.
"We are here today to renew our commitment to Jose Serra," Democratas president Rodrigo Maia told several thousand supporters at a packed convention center.
Serra's main rival for the top job will be Dilma Rousseff of Lula's ruling, center-left Workers' Party.
Serra, a 68-year-old trained economist, has a 9-point lead over Rousseff in an opinion poll two weeks ago.
A former health minister and mayor of the city of Sao Paulo, Serra resigned as Sao Paulo state governor last week in line with election laws.
Under the slogan "Brazil can do better" Serra proposed a more efficient and professional state apparatus that would allow for lower taxes but more investment.
"Practicing fiscal austerity means doing more and better with the same resources," he said in a prepared speech.
Neither Serra nor Rousseff are seen as breaking with the mostly market-friendly policies that have ensured economic stability over the past decade. But some investors prefer Serra for his party's centrist position and his experience.
MORE GROWTH
Brazil's economic growth was not sustainable with a "perverse combination" of high taxes, growing spending and a rising balance of payments deficit, Serra said.
Brazil needed to significantly boost its investment in infrastructure, which was one of the lowest in the world. Pot-holed roads and crowded airports were a major brake on the economy, he said in a swipe at Rousseff, who headed the Lula administration's infrastructure investments.
"Brazil's GDP could grow more -- 50 percent more -- if its infrastructure were adequate."
Brazil also needed to pursue new exports markets more aggressively and negotiate more free trade deals, Serra said.
"Do you know how many trade accords Brazil signed in recent years? One, and it still requires congressional approval. Where's the aggressive trade policy?"
Serra, who was persecuted during military dictatorships in Brazil and Chile, criticized the Lula administration for an ambiguous stance on human rights abuses abroad.
"Democracies don't have workers who disagree dying of a hunger strike," he said referring to Lula's recent description of a dying Cuban dissident as a common criminal.
PSDB leaders have also criticized Lula's close ties to Iran, whose president visited Brazil last year.
"Human rights are not negotiable," Serra said.
SECURITY
Serra also dwelled on health and public security issues, which opinion polls show are the Lula government's weakness.
"What mother or father doesn't feel threatened by violence and drug-trafficking?."
Drug-related violence rattles Rio de Janeiro and other cities frequently, killing thousands of people each year.
Jacira Nazare, who distributed good-luck bracelets at the event, said she would vote for Serra, even though she backed Lula's reelection in 2006.
"I haven't see the improvement I had hoped for where I live," she said, citing problems of insecurity and drugs in her neighborhood in the northeastern city of Salvador.
Known for his often stiff demeanor and pedantic style, Serra appeared relaxed and reaped the occasional, spontaneous applause as he cracked jokes and told anecdotes of his life.
But despite the fanfare, party leaders remained realistic, knowing that Rousseff will benefit from the president's huge popularity and a quickly rebounding economy.
"It will be one of the most difficult elections of all time," PSDB president Sergio Guerra told supporters.


Clic here to read the story from its source.