Brazilian Socialist Party
Which political party did Marina Silva belong to from Oct 2013 to 2015?
Marina Silva Maria Osmarina da Silva Vaz de Lima ( born 8 February 1958 ) is a Brazilian politician and environmentalist . She is currently the spokeswoman for the Sustainability Party ( REDE ) . During her political career , Silva served as a Senator of the state of Acre between 1995 and 2011 and Minister of the Environment from 2003 to 2008 . She ran for president in 2010 , 2014 and 2018 . Born in a rubber plantation in Acre , Marina moved to the state capital Rio Branco as a teenager , where she became literate . After graduating high school , she completed her undergraduate degree in History from the Federal University of Acre at 26 . She developed an interest in politics and joined the Revolutionary Communist Party , a Marxist organization that was housed in the Workers Party ( PT ) , later helping to found the Unified Workers Central of Acre . She helped Chico Mendes to lead the trade union movement , being elected as councillor of Rio Branco in 1988 for her first mandate in a public office . Silva was a member of the PT until 2009 , and served as a Senator before becoming Minister of the Environment in 2003 . She ran for president in the 2010 Brazilian elections as the candidate for the Green Party ( PV ) , coming in 3rd with 19% of the first-round vote . In April 2014 , Eduardo Campos announced his candidacy for the fall 2014 presidential election , naming Marina Silva as his vice presidential candidate . After Camposs death in a plane crash on August , she was selected to run as the Socialist Partys candidate for the Presidency . In the first round of the October 2014 election , she won 21% of the vote ( less than many of the opinion polls had predicted ) , coming in 3rd and failing to advance to the run-off . In the second round , she supported PSDB candidate Aécio Neves over PT incumbent Dilma Rousseff . She again ran for president in the 2018 election , this time as the nominee for the Sustainability Network , and finished 8th place with 1% of the vote . Silva has won a number of awards from US and international organizations in recognition of her environmental activism . In 1996 , Silva won the Goldman Environmental Prize for South & Central America . In 2007 , the United Nations Environment Program named her one of the Champions of the Earth and the 2009 Sophie Prize . In December 2014 , Marina Silva was elected by the British Financial Times newspaper as one of its Women of the Year . Silva is also a member of Washington , D.C.-based think tank , the Inter-American Dialogue . In 2010 , she , along with Cécile Duflot , Monica Frassoni , Elizabeth May and Renate Künast , were named by Foreign Policy magazine to its list of top global thinkers , for taking Green mainstream . In 2012 she was one of eight people chosen to carry the flag for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Summer Olympics . Early life . Marina Silva was born Maria Osmarina da Silva in the small village of Breu Velho , 70 km outside Rio Branco , Acre . Silva is a descendant of Portuguese and black African ancestors in both her maternal and paternal lines . She was one of eleven children in a community of rubber tappers on the Bagaço rubber tree plantation ( Portuguese Seringal Bagaço ) , in the western state of Acre . Growing up , she survived five bouts of malaria in addition to cases of hepatitis and metal poisoning . Orphaned at age 16 , young Marina moved to the state capital , Rio Branco , to study and receive treatment for hepatitis . She was taken in by nuns in a convent and received a Catholic education . There , she became the first person in her family to learn to read and write . After leaving the convent , she went to work as a housemaid in exchange for lodging . She completed her undergraduate degree in History from the Federal University of Acre at 26 and became increasingly politically active . In 1984 Silva helped create Acres first workers union . She led demonstrations called empates with Chico Mendes to warn against deforestation and the outplacement of forest communities from their traditional locations . Silva as a Senator . In 1994 , Silva was the first rubber tapper ever elected to the Federal Senate . As a native Amazonian and a senator , she built support for environmental protection of the reserves as well as for social justice and sustainable development in the Amazon region . Deforestation decreased by 59% from 2004 to 2007 , during which she implemented an integrated government policy . It simultaneously fostered sustainable development , favored territorial zoning , and attached greater value to standing forests . It also incorporated elements from international conventions and documents . All of this demonstrates that , when there is integrated planning and effort , it is truly possible to change the picture , Silva said in a statement to the Embassy of Brazil in London . Lulas minister . A member of the Workers Party , Marina Silva was appointed Environment Minister by Lula in his first term ( 2003 ) . She remained in office until 2008 and received several criticisms from entrepreneurs ( mainly related to agribusiness ) on account of delays in granting permits for projects with large environmental impact . In early 2005 , however , she stated that she would not give up upon facing challenges even if they were imposed by the government to which she belonged , like the controversy over the São Francisco River Diversion Project , and the building of the BR-163 highway through the rainforest : I dont admit defeat , just challenges that must be overcome . Also in 2005 , Silva established her main lines of action for the next two years : social participation , sustainable development , creation of a National Environmental System , and an Integrated Environmental Policy . As she said , Our ministry is new . Its only 13 years old , and it needs to be rebuilt . In the same year , Silva was confronted by Paulo Adário , coordinator of Greenpeace Brazil , over her environmental actions during her tenure in the ministry . Since her tenure began , Silva , together with the Federal Police , the Brazilian Army and the Federal Highway Police , performed 32 operations against illegal deforestation in the Amazon . However , Adário claims that his organization monitors the Amazon region and that only one such operation was conducted in October 2004 , in the town of Itaituba , Pará . According to him , even if the 32 operations had actually been carried out , they would represent only half of what was anticipated in the National Plan to Combat Deforestation . Resignation . Silva resigned from the Lula government in May 2008 . She was replaced by Carlos Minc . Silva cited the growing resistance found by our team in important sectors of the government and society as the reason for her resignation . Tension between her and the rest of the Lula administration increased when President Lula da Silva chose Minister of Strategic Affairs Roberto Mangabeira Unger to coordinate a sustainable development plan for the Amazon , instead of her . She had become increasingly isolated in Lula da Silvas government due to her views against hydroelectric dams , biofuels , and genetically modified crops . Party switch and 2010 presidential bid . On 19 August 2009 , Silva announced her switch from the Workers Party to the Green Party , primarily in protest against the environmental policies endorsed by the PT . Confirming the expectations , Marina Silva launched her candidacy to the 2010 election under the Green Party ticket on 16 May 2010 in the city of Nova Iguaçu , state of Rio de Janeiro . Silva said she wanted to be the first black woman of poor origin to become president of Brazil . She has also become a Pentecostal Christian in the Assemblies of God , the second largest Christian denomination in Brazil after the declining but still mainstream Roman Catholic Church . Nevertheless , during her election campaign , she was criticized by one of the main leaders of the Brazilian Assemblies of God , Pastor Silas Malafaia , after having proposed a referendum on abortion and decriminalization of marijuana . According to Malafaia , Marina Silva should be more courageous and consistent in defense of her religious convictions . In her campaign , Silva defended the exercise of citizen-based political principles and values , education for the knowledge society , economy applied to a sustainable society , social protection , health , welfare and 3rd generation of social programs , quality of life and safety for all Brazilians , and strengthening of culture and diversity . With her speech against the endemic corruption in Brazil ( see A Privataria Tucana and Mensalão scandal ) , and in favor of sustainable development ( with a due consideration to environmental issues ) , Silva managed to attract the middle class sectors disillusioned with the government of the Fernando Henrique Cardosos PSDB and dissatisfied with the compensatory social policies of Lula da Silvas administration . As a result , she came to be seen as an alternative . Marina Silva received strong support among young and highly educated voters . Running on a small-party ticket , she had about 1/20 of the TV time compared to the other two biggest party coalitions . Opinion polls notwithstanding , she received 19.4% of the votes cast . This number far exceeded earlier estimates ( more than double ) , but not enough to join the runoff against Dilma Rousseff or José Serra . Silva at the 2012 London Summer Olympics . The participation of Marina Silva as one of the eight invited flag-bearers to carry the Olympic flag at the opening of the 2012 London Summer Olympics , took by surprise the Brazilian government representatives present at the ceremony . In the Brazilian press headlines like Marina steals Dilmas attention appeared . Commenting on the event , Aldo Rebelo , Brazilian Sports Minister from the PT , which realised it would likely lose votes to Marina in a presidential contest , said that Silva always had good relations with the European aristocracy and that it was the responsibility of the Royal House to choose who would participate in the event . The Olympic Committee said it was aware of Silvas work as an activist in defense of the rainforest , but denied any political motivations regarding the choice . About her participation in the ceremony , Silva compared it to the feeling she got when passing , aged 16 , her literacy course : it was the same kind of happiness . Sustainability Network . On 16 February 2013 a new party , Rede Sustentabilidade ( Sustainability Network ) , was officially launched in Brasilia . According to its founders , the name to be used at the polls would be simply REDE ( NETWORK ) . On 4 October 2013 , the Superior Electoral Court blocked the partys creation , there being insufficient signatures to register it . The following day , Marina announced her affiliation to the Brazilian Socialist Party . 2014 presidential bid . In April 2014 , Eduardo Campos announced his name for the October 2014 presidential election , naming Marina Silva as his candidate for vice president . On Wednesday , 13 August 2014 , Campos private jet , with six others on board , crashed in bad weather as it was preparing to land in the coastal city of Santos , just south of São Paulo . After his death , Silva became the Brazilian Socialist Partys candidate for President of Brazil . Soon after taking the place of Campos in the bid , Marina polled 20% of the votes , 10% more than Campos was polling . She enjoys strong support among young voters and evangelicals , but because of her pro-environmental stance she is largely distrusted by Brazils powerful agribusiness sector . As an Evangelical Christian , she opposes abortion . On 30 August 2014 , Silva generated considerable controversy when she renounced the partys support for same-sex marriage , which was supported by Campos and had been included in the partys manifesto , published a day earlier . On Sunday , 5 October 2014 , Silva received 21% of the vote in the first round of the election , to Rousseffs 41% and Nevess 34% . Although many observers had expected Silva to advance to a second round against Rousseff , Silva ultimately received a much lower share of the vote than most opinion polls had indicated in the lead-up to the election , and did not advance to 26 October run-off . Some days after the election she endorsed Aecio Neves in the run-off against Dilma Rousseff . 2018 Presidential bid . On 4 August 2018 , Marina Silva was officially nominated as the Sustainability Networks presidential candidate in the 2018 elections . Silvas running mate is Eduardo Jorge of the Green Party . Until August 2018 , Silva came in third in opinion polls for the presidency , behind Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ( whose candidacy was later barred ) and Jair Bolsonaro . However , she has later been overtaken by Ciro Gomes , Fernando Haddad , and Geraldo Alckmin , and was later polling fifth on average . In the last few days before the election , her poll numbers dropped significantly , and in the end she polled around a single percentage point . She came out eight with 1.0% and 1,066,893 votes . Political views . Marina Silva is generally considered to be a centrist and an environmentalist . She is running on an anti-corruption platform . She opposes Brazils nuclear energy program , and wants to redistribute the nuclear energy funds in order to allocate more money towards solar and wind power . Furthermore , she wants to initiate a national plebiscite on investments in nuclear energy . She is in favor of imposing presidential term limits .