Unsurprisingly, Veja chooses its candidate: it's Aécio.

247 - In an unsurprising editorial choice, Veja magazine explicitly states, at the end of this year, that its candidate in the 2014 presidential race will be Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB-MG).

The choice becomes clear in the article "The Aécio Effect," published in this week's edition, which provides a retrospective of 2013.

Authored by reporters Marcelo Sakate and Adriano Ceolin, the text predicts a period of "euphoria" for Brazil if Aécio Neves rises in the polls and proves more competitive – currently, he has 19% in the Datafolha poll. "The candidacy of the senator from the PSDB party in Minas Gerais is now irreversible. Economists predict that if he proves competitive, euphoria about Brazil will return to the markets and encourage investors."

Aécio's guru, Armínio Fraga, former president of the Central Bank, was also interviewed. According to him, a potential Aécio government would be "more capable than any other of mobilizing capital, at a time when Brazil needs to invest more and better."

Veja also predicts growth for the politician from Minas Gerais in upcoming polls, arguing that 50% of voters still don't know him and many don't realize he represents "change."

The Veja report also highlights José Serra's withdrawal from the race, which would have definitively paved the way for Aécio within the PSDB party.

When the text mentions euphoria, it indicates that this refers to the so-called financial markets – since, with regard to direct investments in the productive sector, Brazil has maintained a prominent position.

The strategy of "change" through the economy, however, faces challenges, since the most recent IBGE survey pointed to the lowest unemployment rate in history, as well as an expansion of workers' income.

"Aécio ends 2013 free of his biggest obstacle, supported by his party and armed with good principles. The market reaction to this takeoff will be the first sign of how high he can go," says Veja.