Brazil Presidential election tomorrow:

Intense battle to woo voters

BRAZIL: Candidates vying for Brazil’s presidency spent Thursday, the last day campaigning before the weekend election, in an intense battle to rustle up last-minute votes.

Although the race appeared to be a foregone conclusion, with all polls predicting victory for the ruling party candidate Dilma Rousseff, 62, the challengers’ goal was to weaken her lead by enough to force a runoff on October 31.

Her two main rivals, former Sao Paulo state governor Jose Serra, 68, and former environment minister Marina Silva, 52, hit the streets in Rio de Janeiro to meet voters.

All three were to appear late Thursday for their final televised debate in the city, to be broadcast by leading network TV Globo directly after its ratings-winning nightly soap opera.

Under Brazilian law, the candidates would then have to give stumping a rest until the general elections on Sunday.

Rousseff’s and Serra’s camps told AFP they would be staging small events in Rio, while aides to Silva said she would be holding a media conference.

Silva late Wednesday appeared in Rio’s Central railway station urging supporters to give her a boost.

“I keep rising (in the polls) and I am going to keep campaigning right up to the last moment,” she said.

Various surverys give Rousseff 47-50 percent of voter intentions for Sunday.

Serra trails far behind with 26-28 percent, with seemingly no chance of making up the ground.

Silva was scoring 13-14 percent, with support rising slightly for her in recent days.

Rousseff needs to receive 50 percent of the vote plus one ballot to be declared the outright winner Sunday, otherwise she and Serra will face off in a second round four weeks later. RIO DE JANEIRO, Friday, AFP