Both Lula and Bolsonaro are likely to receive nearly 48 per cent votes if the Brazilian presidential elections advance to a runoff, according to a new poll. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing leader Flavio Bolsonaro appear to be locked in a tight race for the top post in the country.
The country will vote to elect its new president next month, with the first round of polling scheduled for October 4 and a likely runoff on October 25. The AtlasIntel poll, conducted on 5,005 people between September 23 and 28, has projected slight lead for leftist leader Lula da Silva in the first round of voting, with 45 per cent votes in his favour. Flavio Bolsonaro, who is the eldest son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, is likely to receive 42 per cent votes in Sunday’s polling. The AtlasIntel voter survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point, Bloomberg said.
The survey conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News revealed a neck-and-neck fight between Lula and Bolsonaro. Several polls conducted over the past few weeks have shown Lula and Bolsonaro competing in a close race, with the elections likely to advance to a runoff three weeks later. Brazil’s presidential race has been shaped by a major bank fraud investigation that has affected both leading campaigns. Flavio Bolsonaro has gained ground by linking the scandal to President Lula da Silva and tapping into anti-establishment sentiment. The controversy centres on jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro, the former owner of Banco Master SA. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing but is under a federal police investigation over alleged money laundering, corruption and tax evasion linked to his relationship with Vorcaro. His ties to the banker have also come under scrutiny after he sought funding for a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
