Brazil: United to defeat neo-liberalism
An electronic balloting system provided formalise Lula's candidacy for Brazilian by the government of Rio de Janeiro was in use from the first moments of the 11th
National Meeting of the Workers Party on president and present this to other allied parties. With this initiative, we would have a clearly defined popular and democratic
An Extraordinary Meeting at the of the year will decide upon electoral tactics alliances and a presidential candidate for
1998, and upon issues of party building
September
1st. Jose Dirce was re- starting point for an opposition to Presielected president of the party by a narrow margin. Milton Temer, the candidate of the left-wing of the PT, won 46.5% of dent Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Unfortunately, the winning proposal postponed a decision until the end of the year."
that do not appear polemical. The next PT
National Meeting will be held in the first half of 1998, preceded by state, municipal and branch meetings. According to delegate votes.
Soriano criticises the re-confirmed PT Soriano, "this Meeting will decide on a leadership for its continued efforts to political project to confront President seek a broader alliance against Cardoso Cardoso and build a just, sovereign and
"This insistence on a centre-left alliance is bringing programmatic confusion into the Workers Party."
than that built so far in the National
Congress and in mass mobilisations
"This insistence on a centre-left alliance is bringing programmatic confusion, forcing the PT, Brazil's major opposition party, democratic country. The meeting may be declared a Congress of the PT."
"In 1998, we will confront our greatest electoral challenge, warns Soriano. "For the first time, we will put forward a project
Joaquim Soriano
Member of the PT National Executive
Lula da Silva and Jose Dirceu's centre the government bloc [which the PT this task: the unity of the PT."
Articulação (Articulation) current maintained control of the National Executive, but by programme? Do they have a candidate?" of forces in the the narrowest of margins. The left won
As Soriano points out, "the government Soriano, it will be remembered as "a landnine of the eighteen elected seats on the bloc does have
National Executive. Dirceu's narrow majority is assured by his own vote, and 1998 and 2002. To confront it, we need those of two parliamentarians, one in the
Senate, and one in the Chamber of
Deputies.
Perhaps because of this narrow balance between moderates and radicals, the Meeting was short on policy decisions. According to Joaquim Soriano of the leftist Democracia Socialista tendency, presidency of the PT also wanted to
14 International Viewpoint #293 into softening its criticism of neo-liberal reforms, and creating an alliance without Lula as its candidate. Do the "exiles" from leadership wooing. have a
La candidate, a programme and a definite strategy for defined objectives. The positive balance sheet of the Temer candidacy reinforces the idea that debate over the course of the PT is the alternative that strengthens the party as a whole. Warnings of splits trumpeted by analysts outside and inside the party did not prevent open debate among the activists and the deep roots of among the workers and the people."
for a democratic and popular Brazil with an unfavourable balance of forces. One condition is necessary to properly fulfi
The Meeting confirmed the correlation party. Acording mark in the recomposition of our party around a programme, objectives and principles." "However," he continues, "it is necessary to re-establish the discussion of differences as a constituent moment of unity in action. It is necessary to reconstitute a united PT identity that resurrects the cry of the First International: 'Peace among ourselves, war on the masters." [JS/JD] * Joaquim Soriano is a member of the National Executive of the PT. The Democracia Socialista tendency of the PT is associated with the Fourth International.
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