MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New poll says Lula may not need a runoff to win Brazil's elections in October

Lula now makes every word count to retake a reassuring lead

Following weeks of uncertainty during which incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro was closing in on challenger and former head of state Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva in most polls, the Workers' Party (PT) leftwing leader has been once again reported to have an unsurmountable edge which could even earn him a first-round victory comes Oct. 2.

According to a survey by the Quaest consulting firm for Banco Genial, the opposition candidate has a voting intention of 46%, against Bolsonaro's 29%, which could avert a runoff.

As Quaest Director Felipe Nunes pointed out, “50% [of Brazilians] say that the economy is the country's main problem.” He added that Lula's advantage stemmed from economic factors, because 18% find inflation worrisome, against 6% who replied the same in September of 2021.

The study also showed that 59% of the population has problems making ends meet.

Lula's improving figures were also due to the fact that he has expressed himself in favor of guaranteeing the right to abortion within the country's public health policy.

Under the new scenario, Lula would have no trouble becoming president of Brazil for the third time in his life.

Analysts have also pointed out that his chances of victory have improved following the criticism he took from religious sectors for his stance regarding the termination of pregnancies, in addition to his blunt verbosity against Bolsonaro in recent speeches.

During last Saturday's ceremony marking the launch of his run for the Planalto Palace, Lula surprisingly read a written speech, not improvising a single word.

The Genial/Quaest survey heard 2,000 people over the age of 16 between May 5 and May 8, with interviews in the homes of voters in 26 states and the Federal District. The reliability level is 95%, with a maximum margin of error of two percentage points.

In case of a second round of voting, Lula would have 54% of the votes against Bolsonaro's 34%, the study also showed.