Brazil election: Lula closes gap with Bolsonaro ahead of runoff

Brasilia: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has narrowed the gap with his conservative rival Flavio Bolsonaro ahead of the country's October 25 presidential runoff, a poll showed Thursday.

The eldest son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro caused surprise by defeating Lula in the October 4 first round with 47 percent of the vote compared to the Lula's 45 percent.

Lula has sought to rebound by boosting his presence on social media and announcing a range of crowd-pleasing social measures.


A Datafolha poll of voter intentions published Thursday showed the rivals in a statistical tie.

It showed Flavio Bolsonaro with 51 percent of the vote, compared to 49 percent for Lula, which is within the two-percentage-point margin of error.

Last week, the same polling firm had Bolsonaro on 52 percent and Lula on 48 percent.

On Wednesday, Quaest polling company also showed Bolsonaro on 51 percent and Lula on 49 percent.