Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (CNN) -- Brazil's ruling party candidate Dilma Rousseff garnered the most votes in Sunday's presidential election but fell short of the majority she needed to avoid a runoff.
With 99.98 percent of the votes counted, Rousseff led the race with 46.9 percent of the vote, according to the Superior Electoral Court. She needed 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a second-round runoff.
She will now face Jose Serra, a former mayor of Sao Paulo and one of the county's most experienced politicians. He had 32.61 percent of the vote, the court said.
If she ultimately prevails, Rousseff -- a former Marxist guerrilla -- would be her country's first female president. The runoff election is scheduled for October 31.
CNN
