Brazilian run-off vote raises questions for Petrobras

摘要

The first-round result in Brazil’s presidential vote reflects a showdown between the incumbent’s interventionist policies and her challenger’s plans to liberalise parts of a weakening economy. The future of state-controlled energy firm Petrobras is at the centre of this challenge. The social democracy party’s candidate, Aecio Neves, has advanced to a 26 October second-round run-off with President Dilma Rousseff, of the workers’ party. Rousseff led first-round voting on 5 October with a 41.59pc share, while Neves achieved 33.54pc. Support for the socialist party’s Marina Silva unexpectedly fell before the voting. Silva has since endorsed Neves, potentially boosting his chances in the second-round run-off.