Brazil: Lula’s advantage over Bolsonaro is reduced to 13 points, according to a survey

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s lead in the polls for Brazil’s presidential election has shrunk to 13 points over incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, according to a poll released on Thursday. This drop increases the chances of a second round.

The left-wing former head of state (2003-2010) is credited with 45% of voting intentions, 2% less, ahead of the stable 32% attributed to the far-right candidate, according to the Datafolha Institute survey. In the previous survey, published on August 18, the gap between the two competitors was 15 points. In a possible second electoral round on October 30, Lula would beat Jair Bolsonaro with 53% to 38%, according to Datafolha.

The first televised debate of the campaign benefited smaller candidates

The poll published on Thursday is the first since Sunday’s debate, the first of the campaign, in which Lula and Jair Bolsonaro hurled harsh accusations at each other and, according to analysts, showed weaknesses. The two men are far ahead of the other candidates in what appears to be the most polarized election in decades.

The fall in the intention to vote in favor of the candidate of the Workers’ Party (PT) seems to have favored the third man, Ciro Gomes (center-left), who fell from 7% to 9%, and Senator Simone Tebet of the MDB . (center), increased from 3% to 5%.

The latter was, according to a qualitative survey carried out by the same institute, the “winner” of the debate, showing firmness in the criticism it launched against both Lula and Jair Bolsonaro.