Brazilian President Luis da Silva says he will not change economic policies because of next year presidential elections

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said Thursday that presidential elections in his country next year would not induce him to change his economic policies.

Silva pledged to stick with his "pragmatic vision" of economics, and said he would not do anything "that might jeopardize Brazil's chances of definitively becoming a developed country."

An ongoing corruption scandal has damaged Silva's popularity among Brazilian voters, according to a poll released last month. His government has been shaken by accusations of illegal campaign financing and bribing lawmakers for their support on key votes, the AP reports.

However, recent economic data indicated that inflation was under control and that Brazil's economy expanded in the second quarter. Silva was visiting Portugal before heading to the Ibero-American summit of the leaders of Portugal, Spain and Latin American nations on Friday in Salamanca, Spain. A.M.