Brazil’s Socialist party has formally endorsed environmentalist Marina Silva as its candidate in the coming presidential elections. Silva was the running mate of Eduardo Campos, who was killed in a plane crash last week.

Marina Silva grew up with 10 siblings to an impoverished family of Brazil’s Amazon region. She did not learn to read until she was a teenager.

At 36, she became the youngest person to be elected to Brazil’s senate. She was a candidate in the last presidential election in 2010, and polled nearly 20 million votes. The unexpected success helped forge her view that the time is approaching for a committed environmentalist to be president of Brazil.

Silva attempted to register a new party and stand independently for the 2014 campaign, but later decided to team up with Eduardo Campos.

The latest polls show Silva in second place to current President Dilma Rousseff. Silva has a core base among Brazil’s younger voters, many of whom expressed their dissatisfaction at the political status quo in Brazil by joining mass protests last year.

CCTV America’s Stephen Gibbs reports.

Marina Silva popular candidate for president of Brazil

Brazil's Socialist party has formally endorsed environmentalist Marina Silva as its candidate in the coming presidential elections. Silva was the running mate of Eduardo Campos, who was killed in a plane crash last week.