Brazil’s Lula and Bolsonaro about even ahead of election run-off: Poll

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro remain about even on the eve of Sunday’s election run-off, shows a CNT/MDA poll.

The right-wing senator, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, would receive 46.3 percent of the vote compared with 45 percent for the leftist Lula, according to the poll released on Saturday. Last week, the poll showed Bolsonaro leading Lula 46.8 percent to 45.9 percent.

MDA surveyed 2,032 people from October 21 to October 23, with a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.

The poll comes the day after the final debate before the presidential run-off.

The candidates questioned each other on Friday about Brazil’s economy, infrastructure and regional development.

Bolsonaro accused the incumbent of allowing organised crime to expand, driving families into debt and not addressing the higher cost of living.

“He doesn’t know what hunger is,” Brazil’s first working-class president said of Bolsonaro. “He doesn’t know Brazil.”

Sunday’s vote comes after Bolsonaro finished first in the initial round of voting on October 4 with 47 percent to Lula’s 45 percent.

A Datafolha institute survey published on Thursday suggested the pair are now tied with 50 percent support each, compared with Bolsonaro’s four-point lead in polls published two weeks ago.