MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian presidential election: opinion polls show Bolsonaro closing in on Lula, but still not enough

Opinion polls made public so far, show Lula da Silva as the next Brazilian president

The poll from Instituto Parana Pesquisa was released 24 August and compared to the previous one from August second, the difference which stood at 5,5 percentage points has now fallen to 4,7 percentage points.

Other contenders, Ciro Gomes has 7,3% and Simone Tebet, 2,7%, while those voting blank or annulling their ballots, 6%. The poll was done among 2,020 voters, between August 19 and 23, with an error margin of 2,8 percentage points, plus/minus.

Meanwhile an opinion poll done in the capital Brasilia, and seat of the powerful Brazilian federal bureaucracy shows Lula da Silva with a vote intention of 39% and president Bolsonaro, 36,7%. The Pesquisa Correio/Opinao, has an error margin of 2,9 percentage points, plus or minus.

Ciro Gomes figures with 7,2% and Simone Tebet, 3,1%, with 2,6% not replying and 8,9%, blank or no vote. This poll also indicates the rejection percentages, which is led by Bolsonaro, 52,6%, Lula da Silva, 49%, Ciro Gomes, 41,2% and Tebet, 45,5%.

The two round presidential election in Brazil, if no candidates manages 50% plus one ballots on October 2nd, means a run off on October 30. Were this to happen Lula would beat all potential rivals beginning with Bolsonaro, 46,8% to 41,1% and in the case of Ciro Gomes, 42,7% to 33,5%.

The poll contracted by daily Correio Braziliense and registered at the Electoral Superior Tribunal, TSE, was done 18/20 August with 1,111 live interviews, with a 95% degree of confidence.