Barbosa Said to Join Rousseff’s Brazil Presidential Campaign

Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega’s top economic adviser will join Dilma Rousseff’s campaign for president as polls show her lead narrowing before the Oct. 31 vote, a person familiar with the decision said.

Nelson Barbosa, the Finance Ministry’s economic policy secretary, will be on leave through Oct. 29 to help Rousseff’s campaign, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. Barbosa will be temporarily replaced at his post by deputy Dyogo de Oliveira, the person said.

Barbosa is a contender to become the next finance minister should Rousseff win the runoff election this month, said Andre Cesar, founder of Brasilia-based political risk analysis firm CAC Consultoria. He joins the campaign as polls show Rousseff’s advantage over former Sao Paulo Governor Jose Serra has narrowed since her 14.3-point lead in the first-round vote Oct. 3.

Barbosa’s “work at the Finance Ministry is well liked at the Presidential Palace,” Cesar said in a phone interview. “But Mantega is not out of the game and a decision will only be made after the vote. All are now focusing on the need to win.”

The Finance Ministry’s press office declined to comment on Barbosa’s plans while confirming he will be on vacation.

The person familiar with Barbosa’s move didn’t give details of what his role in the campaign will be.

Rousseff, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s choice to become his successor, won the first round of voting with 46.9 percent of votes. Serra, of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, had 32.6 percent. Green Party candidate Marina Silva, who is out of the race, had 19.3 percent. A candidate needed to win a majority of votes to avoid the Oct. 31 runoff election.

Rousseff’s Lead

Rousseff had a 6 percentage-point lead over Serra in an Ibope poll released yesterday, with 49 percent support compared with 43 percent for Serra. The poll, commissioned by Globo TV and the daily O Estado de S. Paulo, surveyed 3,010 people on Oct. 11 and Oct. 13 and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

In a survey released yesterday by Brazilian polling company Vox Populi, Rousseff had 48 percent support and Serra 40 percent. The poll surveyed 3,000 people on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11 and had a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points.

“Serra became a competitive candidate when he managed to go to the second round,” Cesar said. “That said, Dilma is the favorite to win this election.”