José Serra
In many ways, José Serra, the leading candidate for the opposition PSDB, is the most un-Brazilian of politicians. While his fellow citizens are well-known for their easy-going cordiality, Mr Serra is an intellectually intense and abrasive figure, obsessed by the day-to-day detail of policy.

Even old friends from the political community exiled under military dictatorship find him stiff and hard to deal with, although no one doubts his enormous talent. Now 64, Mr Serra played a big role in the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso. In a liberal pro-market administration he was well-known as a “developmentalist”, favouring a more active state stance in economic policy. As health minister, he extended basic care and was the architect of a successful anti-Aids policy, confronting the pharmaceutical industry in his efforts to develop generic treatments for HIV.