Quaest poll shows Flavio Bolsonaro narrowly ahead of Lula before Brazil runoff
Two new surveys put right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro slightly ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but the race remains too close to call.
At a glance
- Quaest poll: Flavio Bolsonaro 46%, Lula 44% ahead of Brazil's Oct 25 runoff, within the poll's margin of error.
- A separate Datafolha poll also had Bolsonaro ahead, but his two-point lead shrank from four points a week earlier.
- Brazil's Senate approved cutting the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours without a pay cut, a Lula priority.
A new Quaest poll has found right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro with a slight lead over President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of Brazil's runoff election on October 25, with 46 percent support to the president's 44 percent.
The survey, released on Thursday, was the first Quaest has published since the first round of voting on October 4. Bolsonaro's two-point advantage falls within the poll's two-percent margin of error, and many experts consider the second round too close to call.
Bolsonaro outperformed expectations in the first round, beating Lula by less than two points even though most polls had suggested the leftist president was on course for a narrow win. Neither candidate won the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Rival polls point to a tightening race
A separate Datafolha poll released the same day also put Bolsonaro ahead, but found his advantage had narrowed over the past week from four points to two. Bolsonaro stood at 47 percent in Thursday's survey, compared with 45 percent for Lula; a week earlier he had 49 percent.
Lula has been rallying supporters after the October 4 result, holding large events that have drawn millions of people into the streets. Analysts have noted that Bolsonaro, despite staying ahead, has not gained as much as might have been expected from the elimination of several conservative candidates whose backers would presumably prefer him to Lula.
Bolsonaro has nonetheless made progress in securing endorsements from right and centre-right parties, as he seeks to consolidate conservative support and build a coalition friendly to business and investors. Lula, meanwhile, has been promoting his social reform platform in the final weeks of the campaign.
Lula's cost-of-living push
Brazil's Senate approved a constitutional amendment on Wednesday cutting the country's maximum working week from 44 to 40 hours without a reduction in pay. The change was a key policy priority for Lula, who is pitching to voters anxious about the cost of living.
"Today is a day to celebrate a historic achievement for millions of workers," Lula said in a statement, adding that it meant more time to live, rest, be with family and enjoy life, and that those who work hard to build Brazil also deserve time to live.
The president also recently banned sports betting, which the report linked to an explosion of gambling addiction and surging household debt. On Thursday, he indicated he would submit a constitutional amendment to Congress guaranteeing free public transport in all Brazilian cities at weekends, another measure aimed at lowering costs for working-class households.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Who is leading the polls before Brazil's runoff election?
- A Quaest poll released on Thursday put Flavio Bolsonaro at 46 percent and Lula at 44 percent, within the margin of error. A separate Datafolha poll had Bolsonaro ahead by 47 percent to 45 percent.
- When is Brazil's runoff vote?
- The second round is scheduled for October 25, after neither candidate won a majority in the first round on October 4.
- What did Brazil's Senate approve on the workweek?
- Senators approved a constitutional amendment reducing the maximum working week from 44 to 40 hours with no reduction in pay, a key priority for Lula.
