First Amendment:
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has cut the distance to 11 percentage points in his intention to vote in relation to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is leading in opinion polls 23 days before the election, according to a survey published Friday.
The left maintained 45% of support for the October 2 election, while Bolsonaro advanced from 32% to 34%, according to a new survey by the Datafolha Institute.
Although it is a “stability” scenario, a move within the poll’s margin of error (+/- two percentage points), the numbers reflect the narrowest difference since May 2021 between the candidates, according to Datafolha.
On the other hand, it increases the odds of identification in the second round, scheduled for October 30.
In the previous poll, published on September 2, the gap in voting intent between the two opponents was 13 percentage points: Lula 45% and Bolsonaro, 32%.
Support for the far-right president has increased in recent months, closing the distance with Lula, who he surpassed last May by 21 percentage points.
Taking into account valid votes (no spaces or voids), Lula will receive 48% and Bolsonaro, 36%, also on the rise since the previous poll.
The former president confirmed on Friday in a meeting with the press in Rio de Janeiro that he had “no concern” about his rival’s progress.
“Every election in which I present myself I want to win in the first round. If not, (…) if there is a second round, we will win,” he said. “I love both shifts.”
On the final ballot, Lula will get 53%, versus 39% for the incumbent president, according to Datafolha.
The new poll, conducted between Thursday and Friday, follows actions by the president on Wednesday, the day of the bicentennial celebration of independence, when it gathered tens of thousands of people in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.
His opponents accused him of electoral exploitation of the date investigated by the attorney general’s office.
In front of the crowd, Bolsonaro questioned the polls, saying: “Here’s no false Datafolha. Here is our Datapueblo.”
Despite these large demonstrations, his administration’s rejection, 42%, remained unchanged compared to last week.
Brazil is experiencing its most polarizing campaign in decades, with leaders at opposite ends of the political spectrum far apart from the rest.
Ciro Gomez, center left, came in third, with 7 percent voting intent, followed by Simon Tibet, who represented the centre, with 5 percent.
Since August, Bolsonaro’s government has increased social assistance from 400 to 600 reais (about $110) per month from the Auxilio Brasil program, Lula’s former Bolsa Familia, to 20.2 million vulnerable families.
In addition, it recorded two consecutive months with a decrease in retail prices: -0.68% in July and -0.36% in August.
Datafolha interviewed 2,676 people in 191 Brazilian cities.
© 2022 AFP
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