BRASILIA - President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil yesterday emerged strengthened by a victory in Congress and one step closer to fulfilling his dream of being the first re elected leader of Latin America's largest country.
Newspapers and commentators said Mr Cardoso had passed the toughest test of his political life when the Chamber of Deputies approved a change to the constitution that would allow him to run again in the 1998 elections.
The bill must pass through the lower house again and then twice through the Senate, each time winning a 60 per cent majority.