Brazil’s Lula increases lead over Bolsonaro in presidential race

Bloomberg

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s lead surged over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro as the field of candidates seeking Brazil’s top office thins out ahead of the October election, according to DataFolha’s latest poll.
The 76-year-old leader of the Workers’ Party would win 48% of the first-round vote, while Bolsonaro would receive 27%, the survey found. In March, they received 43% and 26%, respectively. DataFolha cautioned, though, that the data is not directly comparable as the scenario has changed.
The findings from DataFolha, one of Brazil’s most widely-watched pollsters, differed considerably from other recent surveys that have shown the race tightening.
An Ipespe poll showed Lula winning 45% of first-round votes, while Bolsonaro garners 34%. The two-term former president had seen his advantage shrink in recent months after campaign gaffes that included criticising the middle class and the illegality of abortion in the socially-conservative nation.
But voters who had hoped for an option besides Brazil’s two largest political personalities appear to be increasingly throwing their support behind Lula who stepped down in December 2010 with a personal approval rate of 87%.