Brazil's election moves to second round of voting

The first round of the Brazilian Presidential election has proved inconclusive, moving into a second round of voting.

It was widely thought before the weekend that Dilma Rousseff would have secured the badly needed 50% of the popular vote and with it the Presidency.   Rousseff is the preferred candidate of the outgoing President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

However, the Workers’ Party candidate fell short securing 47% of the vote in part due to a late surge by Green Party candidate Marina Silva.  Social Democrat Jose Serra secured 33% of the popular vote.

The election will now move to the second round- Rousseff said that this would give her more time to hammer home her proposals to the public.  She added that:

“We are used to challenges and traditionally we have done very well in the second rounds”.

Many however think that the election being decided in a second round after Rousseff was odds on to gain 50% of the vote outright, could signal a shift in momentum.

It has certainly been one for the books so far.  For the first time Brazil has looked likely to vote for its first female President.

The next round could prove decisive with Maria Silva likely to hold the balance of power.  She may decide to support Rousseff and also has the option of supporting Serra in the second round of voting, but opinion is divided as to whether she will be supporting anyone at all.

By Richard Sudan