Buenos Aires, Sept 16, (dpa/GNA) – Former Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is polling far ahead of incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, as the country’s elections approach, according to a new survey released Thursday.
The current status would give Lula around 45% of the vote in the first round of elections on October 2, while Bolsonaro would net around 33%, according to the survey from polling institute Datafolha.
Socialist contender Ciro Gomes, follows in third place with 8%.
The numbers point to a probable run-off between leftist Lula, and right-wing populist firebrand Bolsonaro.
The Datafolha poll predicts Lula, would take around 54% of the vote in the second round at the end of October, and win the election, and Bolsonaro would get 38% in the second round of voting.
Lula governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010. He lifted millions of people out of abject poverty with his social programmes.
Brazil saw an economic boom during his time in office, but corruption also flourished.
In 2018, Lula was handed a long prison term for corruption and money laundering.
Lula was released early from prison in 2019, and last year Brazil’s highest court overturned his sentence, allowing him to return to the political stage.
Bolsonaro has already indicated he may not accept an electoral defeat.
GNA