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| Brazil election: Polls close in presidential race | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| More than 142 million Brazilians have voted in the country's presidential election, following a dramatic election campaign. | |
| Early on, incumbent Dilma Rousseff had been expected to win outright. | Early on, incumbent Dilma Rousseff had been expected to win outright. |
| However, the death of one of the main candidates and the popularity of his replacement, environmentalist Marina Silva, means the vote is now likely go to a second round. | However, the death of one of the main candidates and the popularity of his replacement, environmentalist Marina Silva, means the vote is now likely go to a second round. |
| Ms Rousseff's other main rival is Aecio Neves, a centrist, pro-business figure. | Ms Rousseff's other main rival is Aecio Neves, a centrist, pro-business figure. |
| Voting began at 0800 (11:00 GMT) and ended at 22:00 GMT. Voters also selected a federal parliament and state governors. | |
| Mr Neves was narrowly ahead of Ms Silva, according to several opinion polls published on Saturday, which all put Ms Rousseff in a commanding lead with about 45%. | Mr Neves was narrowly ahead of Ms Silva, according to several opinion polls published on Saturday, which all put Ms Rousseff in a commanding lead with about 45%. |
| Brazil's voting system is all electronic and is likely to deliver a result within an hour or two after the voting ended. | |
| On the eve of the vote, the Superior Electoral Court moved to dismissed reports that the system was vulnerable to hacking, saying it was "fraud-proof", despite frequent attempts to hack into the ballots. | On the eve of the vote, the Superior Electoral Court moved to dismissed reports that the system was vulnerable to hacking, saying it was "fraud-proof", despite frequent attempts to hack into the ballots. |
| Wyre Davies, BBC News, Rio de Janeiro | |
| For all the daily frustrations with red tape and bureaucracy in Brazil, voting and elections are - for the most part - a model of order and efficiency. | |
| "Business" was brisk at the voting station I went to - a school in the Humaita district of Rio de Janeiro. People of all ages waited patiently but had to queue for no more than half an hour to cast their vote. | |
| In this relatively middle-class part of Rio, the overwhelming sentiment was concern about the worsening economy in a country that has become used to better living conditions and opportunities in recent years. | |
| So while the word "change" was on the lips of many voters, others said they were reluctant to vote against a government that has helped to achieve impressive levels of social mobility in the last decade. | |
| During Ms Rousseff's tenure as president, unemployment has been lower than under any of her predecessors, at about 5%. The minimum wage has risen and the number of undernourished Brazilians has been falling. | During Ms Rousseff's tenure as president, unemployment has been lower than under any of her predecessors, at about 5%. The minimum wage has risen and the number of undernourished Brazilians has been falling. |
| But the past 18 months have been marred by recession and corruption scandals, and protests over poor public services and the World Cup costs. | But the past 18 months have been marred by recession and corruption scandals, and protests over poor public services and the World Cup costs. |
| Despite widespread dissatisfaction with Ms Rousseff's centre-left Workers' Party (PT), polls early in the campaign suggested she was well ahead of her leading rivals - who were then Mr Neves and Socialist Eduardo Campos. | Despite widespread dissatisfaction with Ms Rousseff's centre-left Workers' Party (PT), polls early in the campaign suggested she was well ahead of her leading rivals - who were then Mr Neves and Socialist Eduardo Campos. |
| But then Mr Campos died in a plane crash and his replacement, Ms Silva, emerged as a surprisingly strong contender. | But then Mr Campos died in a plane crash and his replacement, Ms Silva, emerged as a surprisingly strong contender. |
| However, the former minister and environmental campaigner has lost ground in recent days. | However, the former minister and environmental campaigner has lost ground in recent days. |
| Most analysts expect no clear winner to emerge in the first round. This mean the top two candidates are likely to face each other in a second round on 26 October. | Most analysts expect no clear winner to emerge in the first round. This mean the top two candidates are likely to face each other in a second round on 26 October. |
| Voting is mandatory for those aged between 18 and 70. | Voting is mandatory for those aged between 18 and 70. |