Candidates Attack President Dilma's Economic Policy

10/02/2013 - 08h59

The three main candidates facing President Dilma Rousseff in the 2014 presidential election criticized on Monday the government's economic policy and sent a signal to the private sector in an effort to win the business trust in their ability to lead the country.

Danilo Verpa/Folhapress

"We are only getting back on course when the public understand that the private sector is not the enemy," said Aécio Neves. Danilo Verpa/Folhapress

Gathered at a forum organized by "Exame" magazine, the former senator Marina Silva, Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB - MG) and Pernambuco Governor Eduardo Campos (PSB), said that Ms. Rousseff was unable to create a secure environment for private investment.

Speaking separately at the event, the three adopted the same tone and said that the ruling Workers Party (PT) made a mistake when stimulating economic growth by promoting consumption and increasing government spending without creating the necessary conditions to attract investment.

"We are only getting back on course when the public understand that the private sector is not the enemy," said Neves. "Investors need to know where we are going," said Campos.

Marina Silva said the government needs to stimulate the economy with measures "in a horizontal manner and not in a case by case, which create a untrusting relationship" between the government and business.

Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress

Pernambuco Governor Eduardo Campos (PSB)

Unable to make the economy grow again with the strength of recent years in the government of his predecessor, the former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ms. Rousseff has found it difficult to attract investors to concession road, railway and airport programs.

Neves said it would reduce by half the number of ministries, now 39, creating in its place a Secretariat against Bureaucratization, which would work for a year with the goal of sending to Congress a project for a tax system reform.

Marina, who spoke after Neves, criticized what he called the "bundle of proposals" and said that the priority of the following government should set an "agenda" of actions "independent from the current politics in office". Marina tries to starts a new party, the Sustainability Network, to compete in the presidential race.

Campos adopted a milder tone when speaking of Lula's government, his political godfather, but he was emphatic in criticizing the economic policies of Ms. Rousseff. Campos told businessmen that his party delivered in September the positions it had in government to "discuss Brazil with freedom."

Translated by SIMONE PALMA

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