BRAZIL: Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos died when the small plane that was carrying him and several campaign officials plunged into a residential neighbourhood in the port city of Santos.
All seven people aboard the plane, including a campaign photographer and cameraman, a press advisor, as well as two pilots, died in Wednesday’s crash.
In a statement on her official blog, President Rousseff declared three days of official mourning in honour of Campos and said she would suspend her campaign during that time.
“All of Brazil is in mourning,” the statement said. “We have lost a great Brazilian.”
Campos, 49, is a former governor of northeastern Pernambuco state, and had the support of about 10 percent of voters in recent polls.
He positioned himself as a business-friendly leftist and was a former ally of President Dilma Rousseff, who is seeking a second term.
President Dilma Rousseff, who is leading the race, announced she would suspend all campaigning for three days in mourning.
Senator Aecio Neves, the centrist candidate running in second place, said he was “immensely saddened.”
His death could see Marina Silva, his running mate, become the Brazilian Socialist Party’s candidate.
Silva was not aboard the plane that crashed. She placed a strong third in the 2010 presidential election and enjoys robust support from young voters and evangelical voters, but her pro-environment agenda means that many in Brazil’s powerful agribusiness sector distrust her. Agencies