NEWS IN ENGLISH – Majority of Brazilians favor reelection of Obama

BBC Brasil / Agência Brasil

Brasilia – In an international public opinion poll that took place in 21 countries around the world by Market Analysis for GlobeScan/Pipa, in which over 20,000 people were interviewed, the results were in stark contrast to polls in the United States that show a very tight race. The international poll found that worldwide over 50% of those interviewed said they wanted the reelection of Obama, while only 9% liked the idea of a Romney administration. The rest did not express any opinion.

In Brazil, around 65% of those polled said they wanted to see Obama reelected. According to Fabián Echegaray, who oversaw the polling in Brazil, what happens is that Brazilians are “...sensitive to questions of violence and crime. War is closely related to this in the minds of Brazilians. They see Obama as someone less aggressive and less inclined to military action - a very different position compared to the Bush administration [that Romney is seen as being a continuation of].”

Echegaray also pointed out that Obama, like former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is seen as someone that people can identify with; he is more a part of the population (“integrante do povo”), than Romney. There is even a physical attraction, says Echegaray: “Most Brazilians see Obama as dark-skinned (“pardo”), something close to what they are, and Romney as a white American.”

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Link - Maioria dos brasileiros quer reeleição de Obama (abridged)