Bruno Bocchini Reporter Agência Brasil

São Paulo – The leader, known as the “national coordinator,” of the Landless Rural Worker Movement (“MST”), João Pedro Stédile, says that the Dilma Rousseff administration will be more leftist than the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva government was. According to Stédile, the coalition that supports Dilma has more popular participation, which makes this a more favorable moment for social movements to achieve their goals.

“During the Lula government the correlation of forces was much worse. In his first term of office they almost overthrew his administration. In the second, we made some progress, but it was difficult. What I want to say is that the correlation of forces and the political atmosphere is more favorable at this time and we expect more changes than during the Lula era,” said Stedile in a speech at the University of São Paulo Law School.

Stedile cited the labor union, Força Sindical, and the church, Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, as examples of social groups that support the Dilma government, but did not support Lula. “It seems there is broader social support for Dilma. In spite of the patchwork aspect of the support, it is possible that necessary structural changes can be made if she really pursues a program to overcome poverty,” he declared.

“When families perceive that the political will is not there to move ahead with land reform, when expropriations are slow, they retreat. Why should I camp out if I have a cousin who has been camped out for four years waiting for a piece of land? Even so, it must not be forgotten that there is a latent social yearning for land that can be mobilized at any moment,” declared Stédile.

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Link - Governo Dilma será mais de esquerda do que foi o de Lula, diz Stédile