Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has widened his lead over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro to 13 percentage points less than a week before the presidential election, a Genial/Quaest poll released on Wednesday suggests.
Bolsonaro, a far-right populist, has claimed that polls are skewed, the courts favour Lula and that Brazil’s electronic voting is rife with fraud, without providing proof, according to Reuters.
Posting on his social media platforms on Thursday, Lula said: “Brazil is going to change. Let’s reinstate public policy. But above all, let’s establish a new relationship with society. We may win the election, but the people own the country. And we are going to govern the people.”
According to election polling, Lula, 76, has the momentum to achieve a single-round victory over Bolsonaro.
Lula has been the favourite since the Supreme Court cleared him of corruption convictions last year, enabling his latest run, Brazilian media reported.
The survey put support for Lula at 46% in the first round, compared to 33% for Bolsonaro – up from 44% for Lula and 34% for Bolsonaro a week earlier.
In a potential October 30 runoff, Lula’s lead will rise to a 14-point advantage, from 10 points a week ago, the poll suggests.
This week, several dozen members of the European Parliament urged European Union leaders to monitor Brazil’s Sunday election for attempts by Bolsonaro to subvert democracy, arguing that trade sanctions should apply if he does.
Lula was convicted of corruption after an investigation of a huge bribery scandal, dubbed Operation Car Wash. But Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin said the court that had convicted Lula had lacked the necessary jurisdiction.