Rousseff, Neves advance to second round in Brazil election

Brasilia, Oct 6 (IANS/EFE) Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will face off against social democrat Aecio Neves in a second electoral round, according to results of Sunday's first round of presidential elections which saw challenger and ecologist Marina Silva knocked out of the running.

With the count almost completed, Rousseff took 41.39 percent of the vote, while Neves garnered 33.78 percent, confirming him as the president's rival in the next round scheduled for Oct 26, according to results released by the Superior Electoral Court.

Under Brazilian law, the two top candidates go on to a second round if no one takes more than 50 percent of the vote.

Marina Silva, who until two weeks ago, was considered an opinion poll favourite to face Rousseff in the run-off and, perhaps even defeat the president,finally fizzled out in the final leg of the campaign, ending with 21.26 percent of the vote.

Neves's recent strong comeback, noticed by the polls published Saturday, once again put his Brazilian Social Democracy Party face to face with Rousseff's Workers Party, as in the last five elections.

In his first statements after the result, Neves moved to draw the support of voters of Silva's Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). She became the party's candidate after the death of its previous choice, Eduardo Campos, in a plane crash Aug 13.

To celebrate his second place, Neves paid tribute to the memory of his "friend", stating that "it is time to join forces" and said that "all those who can make a contribution" to his project would be welcome.

Rousseff, who in recent days, acknowledged that the elections were pointing to a second round, said that "now the struggle continues" and declared she was convinced that it would be "a victorious struggle because it is the struggle of the Brazilian people and the people united will never be defeated".

Commenting on her electoral setback, Silva did not provide any hints regarding her position in the second round, but said that she would be ready to have a "dialogue" about the government programme that she was offering to the voters.

--IANS/EFE

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