RIO DE JANEIRO - Voters in the world's fourth-biggest democracy, buoyant about a potent economy and Brazil's rising clout on the world stage, cast their ballots on Sunday for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's handpicked successor in a show of support for the popular leader's policies, The Washington Post reports.

With 99.8 percent of the votes counted late in the evening, Dilma Rousseff, 62, a Marxist guerrilla-turned-economist who served Lula as chief of staff, had nearly 47 percent, to 32.6 percent for Jose Serra, a former governor who is her main challenger. A third candidate, Marina Silva, the Green Party candidate and a former environmental minister in Lula's government, had 19.3 percent.

Polls and political analysts suggest that Rousseff will be Brazil's next president, but she did not get the more than 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff with Serra on Oct. 31.

"I will confront the second round with a lot of drive and energy," Rousseff told reporters in Brasilia, the capital. "I will have the opportunity to provide more details about my proposals to eradicate misery and ensure the country's development with fast levels of growth."

If Rousseff wins that final round, she will become the first woman to lead Brazil, Latin America's largest country.

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