General elections were held in Brazil on October 3, 1994. President Fernando Collor of the centre-right National Reconstruction Party (PRN) had resigned during an impeachment trial, causing Vice President Itamar Franco to replace him.
Minister of Finance Fernando Henrique Cardoso, was chosen by the PSDB as their presidential candidate with Chief of Staff Marco Maciel of the Liberal Front Party (PFL) as the running mate.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a former labor leader and federal deputy for São Paulo who had narrowly lost the 1989 presidential election, resigned as president of the Workers' Party (PT) to run for a second presidential candidacy.
On election day, Cardoso won by an absolute majority, winning 54.28% of the vote. Cardoso won every state in the northeast. Lula da Silva won 27.04% of the vote. Far-right cardiologist Enéas Carneiro came in third, winning 7.38% of the vote.
