Lula’s heir would face Bolsonaro in Brazil runoff: Poll

Bloomberg

Fernando Haddad, leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s chosen successor, would face front-runner Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff vote for Brazil’s presidency, according to opinion poll published on Monday.
Bolsonaro would get 28.2 percent of first-round votes, followed by Haddad with 17.6 percent, according to an MDA survey published by the National Transportation Confederation. The poll showed ex-Ceara state Governor Ciro Gomes trailing with 10.8 percent, followed by market-friendly candidate Geraldo Alckmin with 6.1 percent. In a simulation for a runoff vote, Bolsonaro would get 39 percent against 35.7 percent for Haddad.
The poll is the first to show Haddad breaking away from a crowded pack of candidates and placing firmly in second. The survey corroborates others conducted in recent days, which showed Haddad’s support jumping into the double-digits after he received Lula’s official backing. Those gains, coupled with Alckmin’s failure to gain traction, have stoked investor concerns that the next administration may shun market-friendly reforms including a pension overhaul.
Brazil’s real gained 0.2 percent against the US dollar in afternoon trading, but has hovered near a record low this month. Haddad and Gomes are the strongest contenders for a spot in a likely October 28 runoff vote alongside Bolsonaro in what’s shaping up to be a polarised second round of vote. Both are vying for supporters of Lula, who had his candidacy rejected by electoral authorities after his jail sentence for corruption was upheld by an appeal’s court.