Lula, Flavio Bolsonaro locked in tight Brazil runoff polls
Two polls cited by Al Jazeera show Brazil’s president and his political-right challenger separated by one point in simulated runoffs ahead of the 4 October first round.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro are statistically tied in two simulated runoffs less than two weeks before the country’s presidential election, according to polls reported by Al Jazeera.
A Quaest poll gave Flavio Bolsonaro 42 per cent support against 41 per cent for Lula. A separate BTG Pactual/Nexus poll put Lula on 46 per cent and Bolsonaro on 45 per cent.
The results represent a narrower contest than Quaest’s 5 August poll, which showed Lula leading 44 per cent to 39 per cent in a potential runoff. The one-point differences in the latest surveys have been described as statistical ties, rather than definitive leads.
Lula is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term. Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, represents Brazil’s political right.
The first round is scheduled for 4 October. If no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of valid votes, a runoff is scheduled for 25 October.
Lula launched his re-election campaign on 2 August and is preparing to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Jair Bolsonaro was ruled ineligible by Brazil’s top electoral court and was later convicted over a plot to overturn his 2022 election loss, according to the source.
