Brasilia, October 6 (Xinhua-RHC) -- A runoff election will take place between Brazil's incumbent President Dilma Rousseff and her rival Aecio Neves on October 26th.

Rousseff topped the first round with 41.5 percent of votes, against 33.5 percent by senator Aecio Neves.

Socialist party opposition candidate Marina Silva, who had occupied second place in pre-election polls, trailed in third place with 21.3 percent of the votes.

Rousseff made a statement after the results were released, celebrating the good performance in the first round. She thanked her running mate Michel Temer and all her supporters.

"Once more, the Brazilian people honored me with their trust by giving me the victory in this first round election," she said. "We have the duty to thank the electors who left their homes to vote." Rousseff also thanked her political mentor, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Pro-business rival Neves made an unexpected rise, benefiting from Brazil's long economic slump.

Just a week before the elections, Neves, who hoped to bring the Social Democracy Party back to power after 12 years in the opposition, appeared to have little chance of getting enough votes to enter the runoff.

Neves expressed confidence for a final win in the runoff in a statement in his hometown Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais state after results for the first round came out.

"We believe this is possible and will always be," he said. "All those who can make a contribution are welcome. We want to make an honored, dignified government."