US embassy cable - 05SAOPAULO1076

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 001076 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINR, PGOV, ELAB, BR, Domestic Politics 
SUBJECT: WORKERS PARTY ELECTIONS GO TO SECOND ROUND; LULA 
DOESN'T VOTE 
 
REF: (A) SAO PAULO 1071; (B) BRASILIA 2834 AND PREVIOUS 
 
1.   (U) Summary: Party leaders are claiming a large turnout 
in Sunday's internal election of the ruling Workers Party 
(Partido dos Trabalhadores - PT), while the press is 
reporting widespread irregularities.  Leaders of moderate 
and leftist factions are trading accusations of fraud. 
President Lula did not vote, disappointing the faithful in 
his hometown.  Preliminary results based on some 73 percent 
of ballots counted show Lula's centrist Campo Majoritario 
candidate Ricardo Berzoini with 42.8 percent of the vote, 
followed by Valter Pomar of the leftist Axis of the Left 
with 17 percent.  Berzoini has already acknowledged that a 
second-round vote will be needed, and pledged to reach out 
to the party's left wing for support.  The leftists, for 
their part, vowed to unite to defeat the Campo Majoritario. 
End Summary. 
 
2.   (U) Press reports have focused on incidents, mostly in 
Sao Paulo city and nearby suburbs, of recruiters rounding up 
large number of people, driving them to the polls, paying 
their party dues, and in some cases telling them how to vote 
or even filling out their ballots.  (Some individuals thus 
"recruited" claimed to be unaware they were PT members.)  It 
is unclear how widespread these round-ups were, and too 
early to tell whether they affected any results.  Candidates 
for the national presidency insisted that such incidents 
were isolated.  The PT's election organizers promised to 
investigate all allegations. 
 
3.   (U) Party leaders and members of the Campo Majoritario 
had expressed hope that President Lula would appear at the 
polls in his hometown of Sao Bernardo do Campo, or at the 
party's national headquarters in Sao Paulo, to inspire 
voters, but he did not vote. A spokesman indicated that Lula 
wanted to avoid intervening in the party's internal dispute, 
but many observers believe he in fact wanted to distance 
himself from the party's woes and its tarnished reputation. 
 
4.   (U) Preliminary results released Monday night by the PT 
estimate a nation-wide turnout of about 39 percent of 
registered party voters, more than double the required 
quorum of 15 percent.  With about 73 percent of the ballots 
counted, Berzoini reportedly enjoys a comfortable lead with 
42.8 percent over Valter Pomar with 17 percent.  Three other 
candidates - ultra-leftist Plinio de Arruda Sampaio, leftist 
Raul Pont, and moderate Maria do Rosario -- each garnered in 
the range of 12-13 percent.  Since no candidate received 50 
percent, the top two will go into a runoff election 
scheduled for October 9. 
 
5.   Berzoini has already acknowledged the inevitability of 
a second round and has begun to reach out to other factions 
for support.  The other candidates, however, claiming that 
the Campo Majoritario has brought disgrace on the party, 
have pledged to band together to defeat Berzoini.  Interim 
Party President Tarso Genro was quoted as saying that, 
regardless of the final outcome, "it is absolutely clear 
that no faction or slate has an absolute majority. Decisions 
made by the party will not be automatic according to 
quantitative majority, they will be the result of dialogue, 
and more broad-based." 
 
6.   Pomar, a "movement socialist" who favors public 
ownership of the means of production, defeated Berzoini in 
Sao Paulo city and state.  His strong showing was due in 
large part to the support of ex-Mayor of Sao Paulo Marta 
Suplicy.  Pomar also reportedly won in Santa Catarina state. 
Preliminary results are available thus far only in the race 
for national president, and not for the national leadership 
slate or for state and local officials.  Official, final 
results are expected in ten days. 
 
7.  (U) This message