First Poll Since Brazil’s First Round Presidential Election Predicts Flavio 53 Pct, Lula 47 Pct In Upcoming Runoff

ISTANBUL, Oct 9 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro leads President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by six percentage points in the first poll done since the October 4 first round of the presidential election, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Ahead of the October 25 runoff, the PoderData/Aya poll released Thursday said Bolsonaro has 53 per cent support, compared with 47 per cent for Lula.

The survey was done on October 5-7 through calls to both cellphones and landlines, with 3,000 interviews in 705 municipalities across Brazil’s 27 states. It has a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points.

The poll marks a change from PoderData/Aya’s poll before the first round, which showed the two candidates tied at 50 per cent. In the new poll, Bolsonaro gained three percentage points while Lula lost three.

The first round was closely contested, with Bolsonaro winning 47.03 per cent of valid votes to Lula’s 45.16 per cent. The October 25 runoff will decide the presidency.

Lula, seeking another term, will face Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in the runoff. Both campaigns are seeking support from voters whose candidates were eliminated in the first round.

Other major pollsters are also expected to release runoff surveys, giving more indications of how the race is developing ahead of October 25.

Brazil’s electoral system requires a candidate to receive more than 50 per cent of valid votes to win the presidency in the first round.

With neither candidate reaching that threshold, Lula and Bolsonaro advanced to the runoff.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU