Latest news with #presidential race
New York Times
17-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Anti-Trump Bump Rekindles Support for Brazil's President
Brazil's presidential race next year was shaping up to be one Americans might find familiar: an aging incumbent with waning popularity trailing a brazen populist who claimed the last election had been stolen from him. Then entered President Trump. Mr. Trump's threat last week of 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian exports as a way of saving his ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, from possible imprisonment, has reshuffled Brazil's political landscape, giving President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva an unexpected boost. With Mr. Trump and his politically motivated tariffs as a foil, Mr. Lula suddenly has a clear message: We will not back down to a bully. His stance is drawing praise in the press, going viral online and giving his supporters new hope that Mr. Lula could win a fourth term next year, days before he turns 80. They have reason to be optimistic: days after Mr. Trump's tariff threats, Mr. Lula's approval ratings rose to their highest level in months. New polls showed that 43 to 50 percent of Brazilians approved of his performance, up three to five percentage points since May. 'It was a stroke of luck for the president,' said Camila Rocha, a political scientist at the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning, a research institution. 'This strengthens him a lot.' The shift in public opinion is yet another example of the anti-Trump bump, a global phenomenon that has reshaped elections in Canada, Australia and elsewhere by supercharging support for politicians who defy the U.S. president. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BreakingNews.ie
15-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Mairead McGuinness confirmed as Fine Gael nominee for presidential race
Mairead McGuinness has been confirmed as the nominee for Fine Gael's presidential candidate. Her ratification as the party's candidate is to take place at an event in September. Advertisement Tánaiste Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said Ms McGuinness, who was a former TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, 'possesses all the attributes to bring our nation together'. Ms McGuinness is the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace Michael D Higgins this autumn, after he served the maximum, two seven-year terms as President of Ireland. Independent Galway TD Catherine Connolly, who is expected to officially enter the race on Wednesday, has already received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit and is expected to garner the support of several independents. Labour said it would 'seriously' consider whether to back Ms Connolly, who is a former party member, as a presidential candidate. Advertisement Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of running for the presidency. Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper. Fianna Fáil, the party with the most TDs in the Dáil, has not clarified if it will run a candidate. Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said the party was 'assessing our options' and a decision would be made by the parliamentary party in the early autumn. Advertisement Asked about Taoiseach Micheál Martin as a possible candidate, Mr Chambers said he was 'very focused on the job of government'. Labour TD George Lawlor said on Tuesday that Ms Connolly had approached Labour party leader Ivana Bacik seeking the party's support and they would 'consider very seriously' their decision. 'We will speak with our members, and our members will be contacted, and a decision will be made after that. No decisions will be made today.' He added: 'We will be asking Catherine to outline her vision for the presidency and where she sees her role in that. It's a position that the Labour Party has promoted very strong candidates for in the past.' Advertisement Left-wing independent Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as a Galway mayor until 2005. She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then-incumbent TD Michael D Higgins. She was first elected to the Dáil as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016 and has been an outspoken advocate for Palestine and against US army aircraft refuelling at Shannon Airport.
