São Paulo, Oct 04 (V7N)- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva holds a narrow lead over Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the final opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s first-round presidential election, with no candidate currently projected to secure the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Brazil’s first round of voting will take place on Sunday (October 4). If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the valid votes, the two leading candidates will advance to a second round scheduled for October 25.
The latest CNT/MDA poll, released on Saturday, put Lula at 47.8 percent of valid votes, compared with 42.1 percent for Flávio Bolsonaro. Augusto Cury received 3.6 percent, Ronaldo Caiado 3.4 percent and Renan Santos 1.7 percent, while Romeu Zema had 0.9 percent.
In a simulated second-round matchup, Lula led Bolsonaro 47.3 percent to 43.1 percent. The CNT/MDA survey interviewed 2,007 people between September 30 and October 2 and has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.
The final Datafolha poll showed Lula with 45 percent of valid votes in the first round, against 42 percent for Flávio Bolsonaro. Ronaldo Caiado had 4 percent, while Renan Santos and Augusto Cury each had 3 percent. Romeu Zema received 1 percent.
Datafolha's latest second-round simulation gave Lula 48 percent and Bolsonaro 45 percent. Because the three-point difference falls within the poll's two-point margin of error, the result was classified as a technical tie.
The Quaest survey also indicated a tight contest, with Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro separated by only a few percentage points in the first-round race. Earlier Quaest polling had shown Lula ahead in the first round while the two remained closely matched in a potential runoff.
The final surveys point to a closely contested election between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro, but opinion polls are not election results. The official outcome will depend on votes cast and counted on election day.
With neither leading candidate currently projected to cross the 50-percent threshold, Brazil appears headed for a second-round contest on October 25, unless Sunday's results produce an unexpected outright winner.
END/SMA/AJ
