Lula ahead of Bolsonaro by 7 points ahead of Brazil elections, poll shows

A man walks past displayed towels and presidential campaign materials depicting Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 20, 2022. REUTERS/File Photo

Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has a seven-point-lead over incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of an Oct. 30 runoff vote, according to a poll by Genial/Quaest published on Thursday.

The election headed for a run-off vote after far-right Bolsonaro beat expectations in Sunday's first-round vote, ruining the hopes of leftist Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, that he could win outright.

Lula had 48% voter support versus Bolsonaro's 41%, according to the latest survey.

Pollsters were widely criticized after the first-round vote for greatly underestimating support for Bolsonaro.

The survey by pollster Genial/Quaest interviewed 2,000 people between Oct. 3 and 5 and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.