N環球 
São Paulo polls: Lula and Flavio tied ahead of Sunday's first-round vote
Brazil votes Sunday in the first round of its presidential election. Atlas polling puts Lula at 47.6% and Flavio Bolsonaro at 47.7% in a likely runoff — a statistical tie.
Why it matters
Brazil's presidential campaign drew to a close on Thursday ahead of Sunday's (Oct. 4) first-round vote. Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to narrowly top the 13-candidate field but is unlikely to secure the majority of valid votes needed to avoid a runoff. An Oct. 25 second round would likely pit Lula, seeking an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term, against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. An Atlas poll published Tuesday showed the two tied in a runoff: 47.6% for Lula, 47.7% for Flavio.
Full report
Despite falling inequality and unemployment, Lula has struggled to convince voters to give him a fourth term as they grapple with a rising cost of living, heavy household debts and the growing power of gangs. Flavio Bolsonaro has promised to build five supermax prisons modelled on El Salvador's.
A corruption scandal involving the now-defunct Banco Master has also engulfed much of Brazil's political class: disgraced former head Daniel Vorcaro was arrested earlier this year over an alleged multibillion-dollar fraud, with new revelations emerging almost daily.
Lula has warned of foreign interference, including fresh tariffs from Washington, while the Bolsonaro family has courted the Trump administration. A Quaest poll published Monday put undecided voters at just 5% of the electorate.
Source: Reuters, via Business Day (Oct. 1, 2026)
💬 Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!