Chamber:
	Senado federal
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	3 October 1994
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for two-thirds (54) of the 81 seats in the Senate on the normal expiry of the members’ term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	The 1994 congressional elections were held concurrently with those for President of the Republic, 27 state governors and more than 1,000 state legislators. Second-round runoffs were scheduled for 15 November in cases of no outright winner. In the running to succeed incumbent President Itamar Franco, who was constitutionally barred form re-election, were eight candidates: Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), also supported by a centre-right coalition of three parties; Mr. Luis Iñacio da Silva of the Workers’ Party (PT), also backed by the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB); Mr. Orestes Quercia of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB – the largest party in the outgoing Congress); and five others. Campaign issues focused primarily on the country’s economy, the ever-widening gap between Brazil’s rich and poor, urban violence/crime, and corruption in official circles. While Mr. da Silva led early opinion polls, Mr. Cardoso gained considerable ground with the introduction on 1 July of the “plan real” anti-inflationary measure of which he was the architect as Finance Minister. Formulated to stabilise the economy, the plan led to its prompt growth and a rapid decline in inflation. On a polling day marked by a relatively high abstention rate despite compulsory voting, Mr. Cardoso – a centrist who had been unofficially backed by the outgoing Franco administration – won an outright majority with 54.3% of the vote: twice the total of the left-of-centre Mr. da Silva. Conversely, the left-wing parties emerged victorious in Congress, capturing 16% of the seats in the expanded Chamber of Deputies and 8% in the Senate. In his victory speech on 6 October, President-elect Cardoso stressed above all the need for social development and justice. He was inaugurated on 1 January 1995 and the new Cabinet took office the next day.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (3 October 1994): Elections results
Number of registered electors	94,782,803
Voters	77,950,257 (82.24%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	14,636,452
Valid votes	63,313,805

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB)	13
Liberal Front Party (PFL)	11
Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB)	10
Democratic Labour Party (PDT)	4
Progressive Party (PP)	4
Workers’ Party (PT)	4
Brazilian Labour Party (PTB)	3
Progressive Reform Party (PPR)	2
Others	3

Comments:
	These figures refer only to the Senators elected in 1994

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	75
Women:	6

Distribution of seats according to profession:
Businessmen	22
Lawyers	21
Engineers	9
Economists	7
Doctors	6
Teachers	3
Journalists	3
Public servants	2
Others	8