BRAZIL: LULA AND ALCKMIN TIE IN DEBATE BUT ALCKMIN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BRASILIA 002157 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV BR SUBJECT: BRAZIL: LULA AND ALCKMIN TIE IN DEBATE BUT ALCKMIN SLIPS IN POLLS REF: A. BRASILIA 2100 ¶B. RIO DE JANEIRO 529 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and PSDB challenger Geraldo Alckmin faced off against each other for the first time in a live national television debate on Sunday, October 9. Lula and Alckmin traded accusations for nearly two and a half hours in a debate that many saw as a draw in terms of changing votes, but a big win for Alckmin in changing his previously bland image with voters. Lula was visibly flustered by Alckmin's hard-hitting questioning on corruption scandals that have plagued Lula's government for the last year and a half. Sparks flew as Alckmin accused Lula of lying, while Lula warned Alckmin to be cautious with his accusations. Alckmin, a former governor of Sao Paulo state, and Lula each rattled off a litany of statistics about their own and their opponent's track records, some of which were disproved in journalistic truth-squadding by major dailies. Decorum was barely maintained: as the debate progressed, Lula dismissively and sarcastically addressed Alckmin as "Governor," "your excellency," then "my dear Alckmin," then "Alckmin," and finally just "voce," the informal form of "you," clearly inappropriate for the occasion. Alckmin addressed Lula as "candidate Lula" or just "candidate," avoiding the fact that Lula is the sitting president, and returned the informal "voce" in the latter part of the debate. The candidates will debate at least two more times, on October 17 and 27. The latest opinion poll, released by Datafolha on October 10, shows voters nearly evenly divided over who won the debate, but Alckmin lost three percentage points of support among voters while Lula advanced one point. Lula's advantage is now 11 points (51 v. 40),and 12 points after adjusting for nulls and blanks (56 v. 44). Embassy Poloff and two Sao Paulo Pol-Econ officers attended the debate in the VIP seating area inside the TV studio. In the debate aftermath, the PSDB is reinvigorated with Alckmin's performance, and Lula's campaign is resorting to scare tactics, claiming an Alckmin government would cut social programs and privatize on a mass scale, claims that Alckmin calls "lies." Both campaigns have been hard at work to win endorsements and support from leaders from uncommitted parties, the most important being the PMDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party). Each has won over some major allies, and the states of Rio and Minas Gerais are looming as key. Small political parties have been negotiating consolidations ("fusions") in order to form new entities with full political rights in the Congress, where several parties did not receive the minimum number of nationwide votes last October 1 to retain full rights in the congress under new Brazilian electoral legislation. This cable was coordinated with ConGen Sao Paulo. End summary. Alckmin Sheds Milquetoast Image -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Lula and Alckmin met at the Band TV studio in Sao Paulo on October 8 for a live television debate that lasted nearly two and a half hours. Alckmin, who had won the right to the first question, opened with an accusation that Lula had "fled" from the several previous TV debates, thereby disrespecting voters, and then in an uncharacteristically tough manner he demanded to know the origin of the 1.75 million reais (about USD 800,000) that police seized in the latest scandal, involving the attempted purchase by operatives from Lula's campaign of a "dossier" of ostensibly damaging information about Jose Serra (PSDB - Brazilian Social Democracy Party) while he was running against Aloisio Mercadante (PT - Workers Party) for the Sao Paulo governorship. Alckmin returned to this and other corruption scandals repeatedly during the debate. Lula was visibly nervous, and repeatedly dodged the question or gave unsatisfactory answers, which Alckmin rebutted by pointing out to viewers that Lula had not answered the question. ¶3. (SBU) Alckmin was obviously the better prepared of the two. Alckmin referred to his notes before posing questions, but largely spoke extemporaneously. He had a number of effective rebuttals, and seemed more comfortable with the figures on public finance, which he rattled off easily. Lula, in contrast, read most of his questions. Lula repeatedly referred to the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration, trying to link Alckmin to unpopular policies such as privatization of public entities, but Alckmin would not let him get away with it, saying Lula's claims were signs BRASILIA 00002157 002 OF 004 of "desperation." Lula warned Alckmin not to make frivolous or light charges, which brought an immediate retort of "show respect" from Alckmin. Each accused the other of being misinformed, playing with the truth, and later in the debate, simply lying. Alckmin repeatedly accused Lula of being arrogant. ¶4. (SBU) Amidst all the smoke and heat there was relatively little light shed on what each candidate actually proposed to do if elected, though Alckmin appeared better prepared on substantive issues on those occasions when he outlined his policy plans. Lula did assert his top priority would continue to be social spending. The rest, when it wasn't Alckmin banging away on corruption, was a blur of numbers on public works projects, health care, the cost of the new presidential jet, military spending, youth programs, digital education, official travel expenditures, and the like. ¶5. (SBU) Alckmin's image has undergone an overnight transformation. The candidate who had been nicknamed "the chayote popsicle" for his blandness by his political enemies is now being called pejoratively "Rambo" and "Terminator." The dramatic change is reinvigorating the PSDB and causing media buzz nationwide. Lula expressed his surprise at Alckmin's behavior when he told the media that Alckmin's aggressive approach was like "a prison gate lawyer," that is, the Brazilian equivalent to an ambulance chaser. (Comment: It is possible that Alckmin's aggressiveness and name-calling may have hurt him among some sophisticated voters. The Datafolha results signal a slight loss of support for Alckmin among more educated voters, and this could reflect a negative reaction to his demeanor, not his arguments. Undoubtedly for some voters, Alckmin was disrespectful toward the president, while Lula may have impressed some voters merely by showing up and not committing any of the major gaffes that are sometimes features of his unscripted public appearances. End comment). Leave the Family Out of It -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Press reports said that each side had agreed in advance not to make accusations about family members. Lula's son has been accused of getting some multi-million dollar sweetheart business deals, while Alckmin's wife is accused of receiving hundreds of free designer dresses while Alckmin was governor, although she reportedly donated them all to charity after wearing them. Lula's Damage Control; Alckmin's Confidence -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Damage control after Lula's rather poor performance started Monday morning. Lula told media on Monday that Alckmin disappointed him by focusing aggressively on corruption, instead of engaging in a real debate about the issues. Jaques Wagner, brought into the top level of the Lula campaign after winning the governorship of Bahia on October 1, expressed a similar sentiment to media. Tarso Genro, Minister for Institutional Relations, said Alckmin looked like a "trained pitbull," and showed a "fascistic attitude," according to press reports. Lula vowed he would be better prepared next time. Alckmin's side crowed victory and continued the offensive, accusing Lula of lying about corruption in his administration and covering up the origin of the "dossier" money. Alckmin said his aggressive questioning had meely "externalized the people's feeling of indigntion," after more than a year of corruption scandas. Media commentators have given Alckmin thumbs p for his uncharacteristically strong performance and although no one is ready to predict a gain n votes for Alckmin, commentators suggest that Ackmin's newer, stronger image is a major plus fo his campaign. The first post-debate opinion poll by Datafolha, shows voters nearly evenly dividedover who won the debate, but Alckmin lost three ercentage points of support among voters while Lla advanced one point. Lula's advantage is now 1 points (51 v. 40),and 12 points after adjustig for nulls and blanks (56 v. 44). Rogerio Schmitt a Sao Paulo political analyst for the Tendencia firm, told us on Monday he thought many of Lulas voters would not understand the content of thedebate, and agreed with us that the body languag and comportment would be more influential in ther understanding of the debate, if they watched at ll. BRASILIA 00002157 003 OF 004 Scare Tactics -------------- ¶8. (SBU) More on the defensive than would have seemed possible just a few weeks ago, Lula's campaign has introduced a new electoral tactic: fear-mongering. Top PT figures, including government ministers, are now warning of dire consequences should Alckmin be elected, with social programs slashed and mass privatization across the country. Chief among these new claims is the ominous assurance that Alckmin will cut or abolish the Bolsa Familia (Family Subsidy) program that gives a cash bonus to millions of poor families. On the privatization ploy, Alckmin is accused of intending to privatize sacred cow state enterprises such as Petrobras (although it is, in fact, already partially privatized, and the government retains a controlling stake.) Alckmin's campaign is counter-attacking bitterly, stressing that no such policies appear anywhere in Alckmin's written platform or speeches, and accusing Lula and the PT of the "Goebbels" tactics in deploying the "big lie" to frighten voters. Alliances -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The Lula and Alckmin campaigns have been hustling since October 1 to line up as much support as possible from uncommitted politicians and parties. The big prize remains support from the PMDB, more a national federation of alliances than a truly cohesive national party. As a result, in some states the PMDB supports Lula, in others it backs Alckmin. Alckmin's campaign was rocked last week after he accepted support from PMDB politicians Anthony and Rosinha Garotinho, a prominent Rio power couple widely believed to be corrupt (she is governor, he is former governor),and then ally Denise Frossard (PPS - Socialist People's party), running for Rio governor, ditched the Alckmin campaign over the ethical issue (Ref B). Rio mayor Cesar Maia (PFL - Liberal Front Party) also criticized Alckmin, but did not jump ship. Frossard later reversed herself and re-pledged her support for Alckmin. The PMDB is split all across the country. For example, the Rio Grande do Sul PMDB has announced in favor of Alckmin, while the Goias PMDB leadership supports Lula. Most parties in the governing coalition are expected to stay with the governing coalition, and most opposition parties and politicians with the PSDB-PFL alliance. But in Maranhao, Roseana Sarney (PFL) has broken ranks and supports Lula, and she may be sanctioned by her party. But she is only following her father's lead: he is former president and current Senator Jose Sarney (PMDB),a member of his party's pro-Lula faction. Rio and Minas Gerais, with their large electorates, remain the key swing states for the second round and are the focus of frenetic activity now by both campaigns. Party Fusions -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Several parties that did not receive a minimum percentage of votes to retain full political rights are negotiating "fusions" to regain full rights in congress. New legislation (the "barrier law") governing parties will deprive members of congress elected from a number of parties of full rights because they did not get five percent of votes nationally and at least two percent in at least nine states. According to press reports based on unofficial Chamber of Deputies figures, only seven parties passed the threshold: PT (15 percent of national vote),PMDB (14.6),PSDB (13.6),PFL (10.9),PP (7.1),PSB (Brazilian Socialist Party) (6.2),and PDT (Democratic Labor Party) (5.2). Media have reported likely fusions involving the PPS, PV (Green Party),and the PHS (Humanist Party of Solidarity),the first two being parties now in opposition, and the PTB (Brazilian Labor Party, pro-government) PSC (Christian Social Party, opposition),and PAN (Party of the Nation's Retirees). It is still too early to measure the full impact of the barrier law on the formation of a governing coalition. ¶11. (SBU) Comment. With two more debates to go, Alckmin could again surprise Lula and put him on the defensive, although -- as polls suggest this week -- a strong Alckmin debate performance does not necessarily translate into a surge in support. But polls before the first election round on October 1 underestimated Alckmin's votes; Alckmin himself BRASILIA 00002157 004 OF 004 has questioned particularly the veracity of Datafolha polls and did so again in statements on 11 October. Indeed, there may be declining value in relying too heavily on polls at this stage in this election. Meanwhile, the rowdy debate and Lula's scare tactics have created a polarized and acrimonious political environment -- "fertile ground for new facts and scandal revelations," as one political analyst said this week -- that could further affect what is suddenly a volatile contest. Indeed, the background sound track to this last phase of the campaign is the ongoing investigation into the dossier scandal. Lula retains his advantages of incumbency, a wide and solid base in the lower classes and throughout the northeast, and most observers cite historical precedents in similar circumstances in past Brazilian elections and continue to give him the odds-on advantage for victory. But Alckmin has momentum now, and between the ongoing formation of alliances, the scandal investigation, and the potential for gaffes or major blows in a future debate, we will continue, at this point, to call this election's outcome unpredictable. Sobel