Lula narrows gap with Bolsonaro ahead of Brazil runoff

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

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

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% of the vote, compared to 49% for Lula, which is within the two-percentage-point margin of error.

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

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