FACTBOX-Brazil's Senate approves new electoral law

Sept 16 (Reuters) - Brazil's Senate approved a bill late on Tuesday that could change the rules for general elections in October 2010. It must now be approved in a second and final vote in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress.

Brazilians will elect a new president, 27 governors, and legislators in Congress and state assemblies in 2010.

Here are the key points of the bill, which must be approved by the Chamber before Oct. 3 to apply to next year's election.

* Women must account for at least 30 percent of the candidates a party fields. Under the current law a party must offer women 30 percent of the candidacies but is not obliged to actually field them. Ten percent of parties' advertisement and 5 percent of the public campaign funds they receive must be used to promote women and their professional training.

* TV, radio, and Internet portals must ensure the participation in debates of at least two-thirds of the candidates for executive public office. They are not required to invite candidates whose parties do not have 10 representatives in the Chamber of Deputies. Currently, they have to invite candidates whose parties have at least one representative in the Chamber.

* Candidates, and not their parties, will be responsible for any campaign debts.

* Candidates can make statements on blogs, sites and campaign pages until the election. Paid advertisement is not allowed within 48 hours of the election.

* Parties can receive donations without revealing which candidate will benefit. Donors will only be made public six months after the election.

* If a governor or mayor is removed from office, new elections will be called. Currently, their deputies take over for the rest of the term. Several governors' mandates in recent years have been revoked due to electoral fraud. Currently five governors await a decision by the supreme court over accusations of electoral fraud that could cost them their mandate.

* Internet portals can not carry advertisements of only one party or candidate.

* Community TV stations are obliged to provide free air time for campaign advertisements, which is distributed among candidates by regional electoral authorities according to their parties' representation in the Chamber of Deputies. Until now, community TV stations were exempt from this rule. (Reporting by Raymond Colitt in Brasilia; Additional reporting by Ana Paula Paiva)