Brazil's Dilma Rousseff faces October 26 run-off against Aecio Neves

Aecio Neves, the scion of a political dynasty and photogenic husband of a former model, appears to lead the easy life but faces an uphill battle to unseat Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

Neves, a popular former state governor, survived a turbulent campaign that nearly relegated him to the dustbin of also-rans to reach the October 26 run-off against the incumbent.

Claiming 34 per cent of the vote to Rousseff's 41 per cent with nearly all the ballots counted, Neves fended off the once unstoppable-looking Marina Silva, a popular environmentalist who just one month ago looked poised to become multiracial Brazil's first black president.

The contrast between Neves and Silva could hardly be greater: she is the daughter of impoverished Amazon rubber tappers who only learned to read at 16; he is the grandson of a prime minister and standard-bearer for the powerful Social Democratic Party (PSDB).

Though little known prior to the campaign, Neves, 54, has a reputation as a solid pair of hands and a charming operator.

He is backed by former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso and many in the business world who hope for a return to the rigorous economic management and market-friendly policies of the Cardoso administration (1995-2003). Supporters recall how, as president of the Chamber of Deputies a decade ago, Neves fought for congressional spending cuts.

An economist by training, he has kept up a constant barrage of criticism of Rousseff's economic performance, insisting Brazil must be less protectionist and slash byzantine bureaucracy.