da Silva, held strong.Barring any major surprises, even if Ms. Rousseff does not prevail Sunday she would be all but assured a victory in an Oct. 31 runoff, analysts said.The campaign was devoid of big issues that divided the candidates, Mr. Serra, who ran for president in 2002, tried to campaign on his deep political experience as a governor, senator and health minister under President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. He tried to bill himself as a better continuation candidate than Ms. Rousseff. An early campaign slogan was "Brazil can do more," and he used images in his television time of him working side-by-side with Mr. da Silva..Analysts said that Mr. Serra's strategy was confusing, but that he never really had a change once Ms. Rousseff became better known as the president's pick..Mr. da Silva, whose approval ratings hover around 80 percent, deepened the economic policies begun under Mr. Cardoso, policies that have won him wide support, especially among the poor in the northeast and among a rapidly growing lower-middle class..Ms. Rousseff, has vowed to create millions more jobs and housing units for Brazilians, and to deepen the infrastructure development of the country..Whether Ms. Rousseff of Mr. Serra wins will matter little for Brazilian's economic policy direction, analysts say. While some predict that Ms. Rousseff, who was a guerrilla fighter in the 1960s battling the military ditactorship, will steer Brazi left, favoring a larger role for the state in the economy, most see her as a pragmatist in the mold of Mr. da Silva, who initially drew similar concerns..But few see the next president, whether it is Ms. Rosseff or Mr. Serra as having the same swagger on the international stage that Mr. Silva had..Despite having only a fourth-grade education, Mr. da Silva, a former union leader, used his emotional charismatic personality to win over leaders in the region and abroad..During his time in office, Brazil secured the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He engaged Brazil in Middle East politics, forging warm ties with Iran, to the chagrin of the United States.."Lula is a hard act to follow in terms of the public face of Brazil, "Mr. Power said. "The foreign policy goals will be the same, but the presidentially led diplomacy, the summitry, will be dialed back".VOCABULARY:Protegee: noun, feminine, a person who is protected and aided by the patronage of another person (from French: Proteger - to protect)Likely: adj., possessing or displaying the qualities or characteristics that make something probable.Privail: verb intransitive, to be greater in strength or influence, triumph: prevail against the enemy.Lacks: noun, a particular deficiency or absence: Owing to a lack of supporters, the reform did not succeed.Surveys: noun, a gathering of a sample of data or opinions, considered to be representative of a whole (can also be used as a transitive or intransitive verb).Squeak by: idioms, manage one's existence barely: I guess I can squeeze by on this louzy salary.Runoff: noun, an extra competition held to break a tie.Widespread: adjective, occurring or accepted widely.Thumbs-up: noun, an act, instance, or sign of approval.Crisscrossing: