BBC/ Dilma Rousseff, popular President Lula da Silva's handpicked successor, won 47% of the votes cast but failed to seal the deal with the necessary 50% and avoid a run-off. She must face former Sao Paulo governor Jose Serra on 31 October.
Serra garnered only 33% of the vote with a surprising 20% going to the Green Party's Marina Silva.
Rousseff's numbers slipped dramatically after a recent scandal, also with evangelicals publicly opposing her position on abortion.
The betting is that she will win in the second round but that her mandate has been weakened by the unexpectedly poor first round showing.
In the senate, Rousseff's 10-party center-left coalition took at least 49 of the 81 seats, or just over the 60% majority needed for constitutional amendments.
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