Ahead of Brazil’s Oct. 31 presidential runoff the buzz was less about who’d win—pollsters favored Dilma Rousseff, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s choice—than about the strong, third-place finish of Green Party candidate Marina Silva in the first-round vote. Silva’s strong showing in the Oct. 3 first round left political pundits wondering whether she would stay neutral in the runoff or back runner-up José Serra and tighten the race. Amid intense speculation, she ultimately announced she would not. Silva, who pollsters had thought would finish far behind Rousseff and Serra in the first round with 9% to 10% of the vote, wound up receiving a hefty 19.3%. Though she was knocked out of contention by virtue of winding up third... [Log in to read more]