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Rousseff Takes Early Lead in Brazil Election, But Runoff Likely

   VOA News 03 October 2010

Photo: AP

   Dilma Rousseff, presidential candidate for the Workers Party, gestures
   next  to an electronic ballot box after voting during Brazil's general
   elections in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010.

   The ruling-party candidate took an early lead in Brazil's presidential
   election Sunday but a second-round election seemed inevitable.
   National  election  officials  said  with  more than 90 percent of the
   votes  counted,  ruling  party  candidate   Dilma  Rousseff  had 45.9
   percent of the vote compared to 33.1 percent for Jose Serra.
   A  candidate  must  win a majority of the vote to avoid heading into a
   October 31 runoff vote with the second-place finisher.

   Ms.  Rousseff  is  a  former chief of staff of outgoing President Luiz
   Inacio Lula da Silva and also his preferred successor.

   If elected, she will be Brazil's first female president.
   Brazil's  economy  has remained strong under Mr. da Silva, despite the
   world-wide  recession.   Mr.  da  Silva  was  barred from running for
   president  again  because  he  has  served the maximum two consecutive
   terms.

   Watch  Jerome  Socolovsky's  audio  slideshow  report on the Brazilian
   campaign:

   Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters. 

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