Marina Silva's Party Backs Neves in Brazil's Presidential Run-Off

The Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB in Portuguese) said it will support the neoliberal candidate Aecio Neves in Brazil's October 26 run-off vote against incumbent President Dilma Rousseff.

The party expects that the 22 million votes that their candidate Marina Silva won in the first round will help Neves to beat Rousseff.

"I have become the candidate of change," Neves said at the PSB's headquarters in the capital city of Brasilia as he sought to construct an anti-Dilma allaince.

Neves, who is the candidate of Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) is the favorite of business and private enterprises in Brazil.

He won 33.6 percent of the votes in the first vote round. President Rousseff won the round with 41.6 percent, a difference of 8 million votes, while Silva finished in last place with 21.32 percent of the votes.

Neves is also seeking endorsement by the influential family of the PSB former leader Eduardo Campos. Campos died in a plane crash in August, when he was the original PSB original candidate. Marina Silva took his place in the campaign.

"His dreams are now my dreams. His commitments have also become my commitments," Neves said in reference to Campos.

Rousseff’s campaign is emphasising how the Neves government will return Brazil to the economic and social problems of the past, given his PSDB party oversaw failed austerity policies during previous periods of office.

Silva has not yet decided if she will personally back Neves campaign, but a statement from her is expected on Thursday. According to Brazil's newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, Silva demanded that Neves supports certain demands of social movements in exchange of her support.

PSB Senator Rodrigo Rollemberg said his party backed Neves because alternation in power was needed in Brazil.