Politics
Bolsonaro heads to New York for historic United Nations address amid race for Brazilian presidency
The poll, commissioned by investment bank BTG Pactual, purportedly interviewed 2,000 people by phone in Brazil between Sept. 16 and 18 found that only 3% of respondents are undecided
September 19, 2022 7:07pm
Updated: September 19, 2022 7:07pm
As Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro heads New York to give a historic address before the United Nations General Assembly, he continues to fight for reelection in his home country.
His opponent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is reportedly still ahead with only two weeks before Brazilians cast their ballots in the upcoming October presidential election, according to recent polls
The far leftist former president purportedly has 44% of current voter support, up from 41% a week ago, while Bolsonaro has held steady at 35%, an FSB Pesquisa poll showed on Monday.
The poll, commissioned by investment bank BTG Pactual, purportedly interviewed 2,000 people by phone in Brazil between Sept. 16 and 18 found that only 3% of respondents are undecided.
The poll reportedly has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
As the campaign gets closer to the election, polls continue to show Lula’s lead as Bolsonaro, 67, reaches out to moderate voters and gears up to address the United Nations on Tuesday. The conservative president has reportedly taken a more centrist tone in recent speeches, and vowed to spend billions on social aid to help the poor if voters reelect him.
The president has continued those efforts while Lula, 76, has been focusing his own campaign efforts in the conservative south of the country. During this past weekend’s campaign events, Lula told his audiences he harbored “deep respect” for farmers and the Brazilian armed forces.
To emerge victorious and avoid a second runoff election on Oct. 30, a candidate in Brazil must win more than 50% of valid votes on Oct. 2.
Other distant third and fourth-ranked candidates whose numbers improved after a nationwide televised debate on Aug. 29 appear to have lost support: Ciro Gomes fell to just 7% while Simone Tebet dropped to 5%.
Both candidates lost 2 percentage points, within the survey’s margin of error. If Bolsonaro can pick up points from those candidates supporters, he may be able to edge closer to a tighter race against Lula.
