Latest poll shows Bolsonaro maintaining edge over Lula in Brazil run-off

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the latest Brazilian presidential runoff polling continues to show right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro narrowly ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A CNT/MDA survey released on Friday put Bolsonaro at 46.8 percent and Lula at 45.9 percent, following similar results from Quaest and Datafolha. Because the surveys are all within a 2 percent margin of error, experts still view the October 25 contest as too close to call.

The article says the numbers mark a setback for Lula, who had previously been seen as likely to win more comfortably. Bolsonaro’s momentum follows his first-round lead in the October 4 vote, when he outpolled Lula. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term and has been campaigning with regular rallies to energize supporters.

Al Jazeera adds that Flavio Bolsonaro, 42, has aligned himself closely with the political style of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is barred from running again until 2030 and is under house arrest while serving a 27-year sentence tied to efforts to overturn the 2022 election. The runoff is being watched closely because it will shape policy on crime, taxes, social spending and Brazil’s relationship with the United States, in a country facing pressure from inflation, public safety concerns and a polarized political climate.