Brazil's presidential candidates Dilma Rousseff, for the ruling Workers' Party, and Jose Serra, for the Brazilian Social Democratic Party, shake hands before the last televised debate, at Globo TV in Rio de Janeiro, on October 29, 2010.
Brazil will hold a presidential runoff election Oct. 31 pitting Dilma Rousseff of the ruling Workers' Party against former Sao Paulo state Gov. Jose Serra, as neither candidate won more than 50 percent of vote in the Oct. 3 election. Rousseff, who took 46.9 percent of the vote against Serra's 32.6 percent, has the advantage of being the preferred successor of outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who remains quite popular in Brazil. However, the change in political personalities is not of particular interest to Stratfor: Brazil faces the same geopolitical opportunities and challenges no matter who holds the presidency. After decades of wrenching boom-bust cycles, Brazil now has a strong foundation for long-term growth.
