SAO PAULO, July 24 – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva maintained his lead over opposition senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a new Datafolha poll released on Friday ahead of Brazil’s October presidential election.
Lula would defeat the senator, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in a potential runoff by 48% to 43%, the poll showed. A June survey showed Lula ahead by 47% to 43%.
• In a first-round scenario Lula would lead with 40% of the votes, followed by Bolsonaro at 32%, Ronaldo Caiado at 4%, and Romeu Zema and Renan Santos each at 3%.
• In Brazil, if no candidate gets more than 50% of valid votes, the two frontrunners go to a second-round vote.
• The poll follows a rift between Senator Bolsonaro and his stepmother, former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.
• She accused him in June of “disrespecting” her by criticizing her role in party affairs; he publicly apologized to her this week.
• The poll was also conducted after the United States announced a 25% tariff on Brazilian goods last week, citing unfair trade practices, a charge Lula’s administration rejects.
• Datafolha surveyed 2,004 people between July 22-23. The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points in either direction. REUTERS
